MasukCHAPTER 70LENA POVThe morning after the incident it felt like the entire fortress was holding its breath. Everything was quiet in a way that felt wrong. Servants avoided my eyes when I passed. Guards stood straighter than usual. The atmosphere was thick with fear. Everyone knew what had happened in that yard.I overheard two maids talking quietly near the kitchens. "He almost killed one of his own soldiers." "Only because he insulted her." Their voices disappeared the moment they noticed me standing there. Instead of feeling protected by what he'd done, I felt guilty. I felt responsible.Charlie found me in the gardens a few hours later. He looked completely exhausted like he hadn't slept. I asked quietly, "Is the soldier alive?"Charlie nodded. "Barely."Relief washed over me that at least he hadn't died. Then Charlie said something that stayed with me the rest of the day. "I've followed Salvatore for almost twenty years. I've seen him angry. I've seen him merciless. But yesterday
CHAPTER 69SALVATORE POV I stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. The soldiers below were laughing among themselves, completely unaware that I could hear every word they were saying. One of them said, "She's making the Boss weak." Another added, "All this bloodshed for one woman." A third muttered, "Maybe she'd betray him too."Charlie stood beside me. I felt his stomach tighten. He'd seen this silence before. It was always worse than when I shouted. My expression remained perfectly calm too calm in a way that made the air feel dangerous. Without taking my eyes off the men, I said quietly, "Bring them to the training yard."Charlie hesitated. "Salvatore""Now."The single word left no room for argument.Minutes later every soldier on the island had gathered in the main training yard. No one knew why they were being assembled. Whispers spread through the crowd like electricity. Even Diego sensed something was off. The three men who'd mocked Lena exchanged nervous glances with
CHAPTER 68LENA POVI woke before sunrise because something felt different about the island. There was a strange tension in the air that I couldn't quite name. The fortress was quieter than usual. I walked to my balcony and looked out toward the mainland. I remembered what Charlie had said yesterday. "Everything Dante owns." Salvatore hadn't made an empty promise. He'd kept every single word. The realization didn't bring relief. Instead an uneasy feeling settled deep inside my chest.How many lives had actually changed overnight because someone had insulted me? I whispered to myself, "What have you done, Salvatore?"At breakfast Matteo was chatting happily with Cerberus lying at his feet, completely unaware of what was really happening. He told me he'd overheard soldiers talking. "They said Mr. Salvatore won."I forced a smile. "What else did they say?"Matteo answered innocently, "They said nobody should ever make you cry again."Those simple words made me pause. The entire fortress
CHAPTER 67SALVATORE POV The headlines were everywhere on the tablet screen. Every news outlet had picked up the same story. Photos of Lena. Pictures taken secretly on the island. Images of her standing beside me. Fake headlines under each one. "Mafia Princess Betrays Her Bloodline." "Captive Turned Lover." "Lena Romano Chooses the Devil." "Sleeping With Her Family's Killer."The lies had spread across Europe in only a few hours.Charlie spoke quietly from across the room, "Dante owns half the media companies that printed them."I stared at Lena's picture on the screen. She looked beautiful. She also looked completely alone, like the weight of the world had already settled on her shoulders. My jaw tightened. Not because of what they called me. Because of what they were calling her.I searched around the house for her. She wasn't in the library. Not in the gardens. Not in the kitchen. Finally I found her sitting on the balcony outside her room, staring out at the ocean like it held an
CHAPTER 66LENA POV I woke after one of the best nights of sleep I'd had in years. No nightmares or cold sweats. No memories chasing me through my dreams. I got out of bed and dressed, then headed downstairs. The servants greeted me warmly. Matteo teased me about sleeping late. For a brief moment life almost felt normal. For just a second, I let myself believe the worst might finally be behind us.I couldn't have been more wrong.The dining room doors burst open without warning. Charlie entered with his expression already grim before he even reached the table. He was clutching a tablet tightly in his hand. "Boss."His voice was tight. "You need to see this."Salvatore looked at the screen first and his expression hardened instantly. Without saying a word he passed the tablet to me. I frowned, confused about what I was about to read.Then I saw the headline. "Missing Mafia Heiress Chooses Lover Over Family."I kept reading. Another headline. "Lena Moretti Betrays Her Blood for the But
CHAPTER 65SALVATORE POV After I left Lena's room I couldn't sleep. I stood on the balcony outside my office . The island was quiet. My mind wasn't.For years every decision I made had been built around one single purpose, revenge. Every alliance I formed. Every bullet I fired. Every sacrifice I demanded. Everything pointed toward destroying the people responsible for the Romano massacre. I'd structured my entire life around that one goal.Now I asked myself a question I'd never thought possible. If revenge cost Lena's life, would I still choose it?The answer came instantly. "No."The word terrified me more than anything ever had. I'd always believed that love made people weak. Watching myself admit that answer, I finally understood just how vulnerable she'd made me.The next morning Diego found me already at the desk, working. Maps were spread across the surface. Reports from Charlie. Lists of Caruso businesses. Except I wasn't actually reading them. I was staring into space, not s
CHAPTER 2LENA POVMy wedding dress was covered in blood. Not mine. My brothers'.The smell wouldn't leave me. It smells like blood mixed with smoke and gunpowders. Everything smelt like death. It clung to my skin as Salvatore Romano dragged me through the cathedral like I already belonged to him.
CHAPTER 1.SALVATORE POVTen years ago, my family was slaughtered and burnt down in our own house. Tonight, I was finally returning the favor.Rain hammered against the black windows of the SUV as the cathedral came into view through the darkness. My fingers tightened slowly around the gun resting
LENA POVI woke up in silk sheets that probably cost more than most people's houses. And for one horrible second, I forgot where I was.The room was quiet except for the sound of waves crashing against rocks somewhere below the fortress. Pale sunlight spilled through massive glass windows overlook
SALVATORE POVRevenge was supposed to feel cleaner than this. Simple. Kill everyone responsible, walking away empty but satisfied.Instead, I stood outside Lena Moretti's bedroom at two in the morning wondering why I couldn't stop thinking about the way her hands shook when Matteo smiled at her.I







