GIANA POV
“Clean here too Giana, what are you? A princess?” one of the women mocks spilling a drink on the table. Thankfully the manager offered me a job after I approached him, he had wanted to ask me to join the strippers to earn my wages and my stay in the bar but he suddenly had a change of mind I was cleaning, and the other girls made sure to make fun of me for it. Weirdly they all saw me as some sought of threat, or something to play with while they were bored. “Fatty!!” one of the girls smacks my ass walking past me as I wipe down the table. “Don’t mind the girls, they will warm up to you soon, they are never friendly with new girls” the manager turns to me with a shrug I nod at him when the doors are pushed open, the night I got hired, there was a man here, he was protected by a lot of other men in black and gosh was he handsome, glorious even. His feet hit the floorboards, his honey-brown eyes shine in the low-lighted room, soon they land on mine shocking me to my core, he moves his eyes away taking a seat. “Who is that?” I whisper to no one in particular but one of the younger girls, answers me, “Handsome right?” she giggles, “That is Maximilian North, he owns this establishment and many more” She turns to me slightly “You don’t know him?” “Never heard of him,” I say my eyes following his exposed arms covered in layers of tattoos, his black beard shines in the room with a strike of white at the side. “How old is he?” I raise a brow at her mopping as I go, music piping right behind us, girls dancing on poles and men, drinks being served like every other night. She smirks “Way too old for any of us, the older women have their claim on him” she shrugs hugging her drink, she hands me another cup I shake my head in a no-gesture “I'm the only woman who has been friendly to you since you got here, if I say drink, you drink, or your life will remain a living hell here for as long as you're here,” she says her voice hard and serious like I insulted her “And it won't get you drunk” she rolls her eyes, “It’s apple juice” she shrugs passing the drink to me. I nod taking the drink from her grasp and turning everything down my throat. “Good” she smiles walking away I frown, hoping I dont get myself in trouble, I have a comfortable room here, a job that pays well and I will be out of here in a month if I save up well, they feed me, and cloth me, even if it's not the best of things but it’s comfortable, it’s mine and Dante can never take this one from me. My fingers wrap around the mop stick, last I heard, Dante and Piper were getting married this weekend, so quick, so fast, no remorse or regard for me. I bit my lip my vision going a bit blurry, I shook my head standing up. “Giana!!” the manager calls my attention to the bar. “I'm coming sir” I yell over the music rushing to meet him, he hands me a tumbler and a delicate jug of Rum. “You see that man at the edge?” he points over to Maximilian, “Go and serve him his drink,” he says, the girls giggling with each other at the corner “Me?” I frown turning to the manager and back to Maximilian, “But I clean the floors” I reply. “You serve drinks now too girl, now go!!” he exclaims his voice sharp and intense. I shake my head my eyes blurry, my movements shaky but I make it across the room to the corner with the man, the lighting around his area is a darker blue, more private I guess. “Si..r” I stutter reaching the table, my blue eyes turn to meet his intense brown ones, his fingers intertwined and his tattooed knuckles on show “And you are?” he turns to me his voice heavy and deep, almost seductive. “Giana Sir..” I frown my eyes going blurry again as I pour the drink, I miss the glass. “Shit!!” his deep voice is loud enough for anyone to notice, for everyone to hear, “you spilled the drink on me!!” he says his voice as intense as before, not angry but annoyed, maybe irritated? “I’m so sorry sir, oh my gosh!!” I exclaim my hands reaching out to wipe away the drink but stop once I realize it's on his crotch “Giana!!” the manager walks up to me, “I'm fucking done for” “Sir, I'm so sorry, she's newly hired, in fact, go to the back Giana you are fired,” he says turning back to the man He doesn't say anything, doesn't defend me, he just accepts a wipe from one of the ladies wiping away the drink on his family Jewel's. “Sir please” I try to beg one more time, tears glazing over my eyes, begging for a listening ear but they turn away from me. It's fast and quick, the girls get my belongings so quickly, the girl from earlier who handed me the drink leading them. “Also yeah, don’t trust everything they give you to drink here or you won't last long” she whispers to me throwing my bag at me in front of everyone. Embarrassed I grab my belongings and leave the room just as I came.MAXIMILIAN POVThat was almost perfect, only my heart hurt a little when tears covered her eyes when she was thrown out of the bar, but it was working out better for me.I wanted to ask the manager to just fire her and I would find a reason to speak with her and make an offer to her but she did it on her own.“Her clumsy ass placed herself in my own arms” I mutter to myself“Are you okay?” Javier raises a brow at me.“I have to go change these trousers,” I say quickly to catch up with her outside before she disappears and I can't find her.I step out into the dark the streets which are crawling with homeless men and women, “fuck” I whisper to myself turning the other way and I spot her enter an alleyway I'm too familiar with.I immediately follow behind her, my guards following behind me, I stop them, if I'm going to approach her I'm not going to make it look like some threat.I enter the alley and I don’t spot her, the space is dark with a few fires lit with homeless men huddled up,
GIANA POV“Max” I moan my voice loud in the bedroomAs he pushes me to the wall“I see the way you look at me, with those seductive eyes” he whispers in my ears pulling back and our lips mesh together again, sealed in a passionate kissHis fingers trail my thighs almost like he wants to carry me around his waist but I halt him immediately,“You can’t,” I say my cheeks turning pink from embarrassment, Dante could never carry me due to my size and always ended up with me on the floor and being laughed at by him.He rolls his eyes, grabs me easily, and throws me over his back, he turns to the dark bedroom my squeals the only sound he can hear.He gently places me on the bed, “I've wanted to fuck you since the very first day I saw you enter that bar” he says his lips leaving trails of kisses on my neck.Tingles fill my body, my nipples rising and trying to escape my shirt, “Please Max” I moan as his lips move down to my neck, my shirt still covering my body.“Patience Giana,” he says swee
Chapter sixGianna's POV“Is this a joke?” Dante is the first to speak and I wanted the ground to open up and bury me. Why, of all the men in this world, did it have to be him?Maxmillan glances at me but I don’t dare hold his gaze. I let my eyes fall on the ground like it is the most interesting thing ever.“Do you have a problem with my woman?” Max's arm instantly wraps around my waist and my breath hitches. Something about the way he says it makes me melt.“Do I have a problem? That is my fucking ex-wife!” Dante exclaims in disbelief and my palms grow sweaty. Is it too late to run? I knew this was a crazy idea but why the hell did I still agree to it?I can feel their judgemental stares boring holes through my skin. These people barely know me because Dante always tugged me away in a corner like I was something to be ashamed of.Yet, of all the worse possible things that could happen, I was more worried about the way Maxmillan saw me. Will he change his mind and realise this is a m
Chapter Seven/-Maxmillian-/He is daring me.I don't want this to escalate to a fight but if he is asking for it, so be it. Gianna is mine and the mere thought of her being the same space with her ex makes me so mad.“Are you sure you want the answer to that question?” I ask coldly, stepping towards him. Something flashes in his eyes and he moves away from her.At least he knows better than to challenge me.“I don't know what you two are planning but be rest assured, it is not going to work!” He shoots us a glare before making to leave. I catch his arm just before he passes me.“Next time I find you in the same space with my wife, I promise you, you won't get to walk out with those legs,” I say in a low tone and release him. He looks like he wants to say more but on second thoughts, he decides against it and just walks out.I turn to Gianna who looks frightened out of her mind. The raw fear and unshed tears I see in her eyes make my heart clench. She doesn't deserve this.“Are you ok
Chapter EightDante's POVFuccccckkkkk!I smash my glass of wine angrily against the wall. Just when I thought things were going as planned, that fat bitch just had to show up and ruin everything!She ruined everything!Does she have any idea that my inheritance is at stake here? My fucking birthright was going to be taken from me!“Fuckkk!” I curse again, angrily clearing my desk. I didn't even care that my laptop hit the ground. That stupid bitch was about to cost me everything!”Dante?” I hear suddenly. “Are you okay in there?”Was I okay? Would I be breaking things if I was okay? When I didn't give a response, the door opened and Piper stepped in.Her eyes scan through the mess and she stares at me with a puzzled expression.“What happened?” She asks.“Gianna!” I hiss. “That's what happened.”Her expression immediately changes. “Your ex-wife?”“You mean my uncle's wife?” I retort and for a few seconds, she stares blankly at me.“I… I don't understand…”“Maxmillian brought her to d
Gianna’s povWe returned to the mansion late and tired. Personally, I'd say it was a bad idea. I would have preferred if we went back to his penthouse but for some reason, I was back to this horrid nightmare.Thankfully, I was tipsy enough to get my mind off it. Max took me to his room and the mere thought of the things we could do in here made my cheeks heat up.As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I cursed inwardly. I wasn't the type to think about things like that but just being in the same space with Max made my brain malfunction.He was at the bar, pouring me another drink. I didn't tell him I was tipsy already, nor did I reject his offer. I needed liquid courage for whatever was going to happen tonight.“Here you go,” he offered me a glass and I immediately accepted it from him.“Are you purposely trying to get me drunk?” I asked, sipping my drink. He chuckled.“I don't need alcohol to do the things I want to do to you,” he said, sitting on the couch just across the room. I s
/Gianna’s povI didn't want to go downstairs. Not after everything that happened last night. To make things worse, Max had to leave for an important meeting earlier so I was stuck here until he came back to fetch me.The initial plan was to hide away in my room until Max came back but my stomach didn't agree. My stomach grumbled loudly and by the time I checked the time, I discovered it was way past breakfast.The only option was to cook so I headed for the kitchen to make something easy but delicious for myself. I entered the kitchen and was stunned by the magnificence of it. It was even more beautiful than Dante's and a lot bigger.I moved to the cabinets, ready to explore it when I heard a voice behind me.“What are you doing here?”I immediately turned to see a woman I didn't quite know. She was most likely a sibling of Max or maybe Dante's cousin. I wasn't sure which one but she was one of the people that didn't like me.“I skipped breakfast so I came to make something to eat,”
Gianna-/I didn't realize I hit her until she staggered back, clutching to her cheek.I stared at my palm in disbelief. I didn't think I had it in me to retaliate or defend myself.“I didn't mean…” I started but she immediately lunged at me.“Did you just hit me? How dare you?!” She growled, hitting me. I took the first slap because I deserved it. I should have just talked back rather than raise my hand on her.But then the second slap came and she claws going to give the third when I caught her hand.“That is enough, Melody. I was wrong to hit you but that doesn't give you enough reason to hit me thrice,” I told her, shoving her back. Her eyes blazed with fury as she stared at me.“You think two slaps is enough to erase the imprint of your filthy hands on me? You have another thing coming,” she said and stormed out of the kitchen.I stood for almost two minutes, trying to process what she just said to me.I cleared up the debts and walked out of the kitchen. I sat there in my room, w
Melody-/Maxmillian rushed Gianna to the hospital with me in the car. It was a struggle to keep my smirk hidden. I wasn't bothered about getting caught because the poison I used was completely undetectable. No matter what kind of tests the doctors ran, they would never know what caused it.Which meant they would only say it was stress and all that nonsense they usually said to assure their patients.Maxmillian and I were waiting in the lobby and I could see the way he paraded the place. I felt a little bad seeing him so worried but there was nothing I could do about it.I tried to tell him countless times that Gianna was not good for him. My mother died trying to prove that to him and I wasn't going to let it go to waste like that.Even if it was the last thing I did, I would make sure that Maxmillian doesn't end up with that golddigger.“You need to calm down, Max. You are going to develop high blood pressure if you continue like this,” I said bit my words seemed to fall on deaf ea
Melody-/She must be a big fool to think that I actually wanted peace. It was all my idea to play nice inorder for my plan to work.And it was quite simple.Poison Gianna. Make her lose that stupid baby she was using to tie Max down.As I assisted with the basic things for cooking, I searched desperately for an opportunity for her to leave but she wouldn't leave. She was right there till she finished cooking.Even Max joined us.I knew then that I had only one shot left. Serve the food. Which was why I insisted on serving the food. Just so that she could leave.I returned to the kitchen and opened the top cabinet slowly, careful not to make noise. Hidden behind the neatly stacked bowls was a small vial I had tucked away days ago. It wasn’t lethal, no, that would be too obvious. Just strong enough to cause cramping, pain, and hopefully a miscarriage.I poured a few drops into one of the plates while my hand trembled slightly, not from guilt, but from adrenaline. Timing was everything.
/-Gianna-/I went to the kitchen to make something for him to eat. I was certain that he hadn't eaten all day.As I prepped the ingredients to cook, Melody walked into the kitchen. I groaned inwardly. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with her tantrums.“Need help?” She asked suddenly, surprising me. I blinked. I didn't expect her to ask that question out of the blue.“Why?” I blurted.“Do you need help or not?” She frowned. I nodded because I did help. I could manage on my own but an extra hand would make things faster for me.“Good! Then I'll help you!” She said.I was too stunned to speak. There has to be something wrong. Melody didn't like me for any reason. I thought with her mother's death, she might have changed especially since Maxmillian was housing her now but she proved to be nothing but a snake.Acting harmless in his face and turned to a jar of spikes when he was gone. So this… this was indeed shocking.“What do you need help with?” She asked but I couldn't even answer
/-Gianna-/Maxmillan came home with a grim expression lacing on his face and just that was already a turn off. As he walked in, my eyes hovered around his legs as they moved and then to his waist, they stayed firm and calling. I groaned in frustration as these days, I barely get any time with him—he was always chasing ghosts or more deadlier, mostly in the form of his brother.I bit my lips as I pressed my gaze just to his face when our eyes locked unto each other and in that spiraling moment, the world seemed to still and wait for our cue.I didn’t break contact, I held up as the tension reduced and there, I saw something in his body shift. His body was no longer rigid or shoulder tensed like he had come in earlier, they dropped and he softened as every peak of his eyes seemed to lit up like some crying toddler whose mom just gave in to his demand.And the way he stared — it was heaven as it suddenly made the room look magical. His gaze fell and while I tried to meet it, it felt like
/-Maxmillian-/My phone rang and I was surprised to see Doctor Ellie calling. She was the one in charge of the autopsy on the Matriarch’s corpse.Her call was the very thing I had been waiting for, for days now. This could change everything.If I could prove that the Matriarch didn’t die from a terminal disease, then the Council would be forced to investigate her death. And God help Eric if he was responsible for it. He would see a different side of hell, one he never knew existed.I swiped the answer button.“Good day, Doctor Ellie. Are the autopsy results out?” I asked. Melody, who was seated beside me, turned to look, her eyes narrowing with concern.“Yes, the results are out,” Ellie said, her voice serious but low. “Could you stop by the hospital when you’re chanced? There’s something important I’d like you to see… in person.”I didn’t hesitate. “I’ll be there in ten.”Whatever Declan needed could wait. This was what it had all come down to.“Alright. I’ll be waiting,” she said an
Chapter 110/-Eric-/“What?!” I gasped. “How could he have been stupid enough to get caught? Did he give names?”I was already on my feet, pacing the floor of my penthouse office. Jasper stood a few feet away, stiff as a soldier, eyes fixed on the floor. He didn’t answer fast enough, and I turned on him.“Well?”He cleared his throat. “No names, sir. But the Zurich server was accessed, just before the wipe was completed. Someone pulled the backup files remotely.”I cursed under my breath and shoved a stack of papers off the desk. They scattered like snow.So that was how they were doing it.Dante and that woman… Piper. I should’ve known she wasn’t just going to disappear quietly. She looked like the kind to break, not bite. I had misjudged her, and now she was back with Dante, sharpening his sword.“They know,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone. “They have enough to trace the money. The foundations. The shell companies. That’s why they’re being so damn quiet.”Jasper flinched at
/-Piper-/I returned home to find Dante waiting for me. “What happened?” I asked worriedly, hurrying to him. “I talked to Gianna and…”“This isn't about Gianna, Piper! It's about my business! My company. My manager called me this morning, he found the mole. You won't believe who has been behind the downfall of my company!” He gritted. “Maxmillan?” I guessed. “No, if it were Maxmillan, it would have been better but he doesn't have the time to go around scheming how to bring people down. It's fucking Eric North!” I was dumbfounded. Of course the man I was fucking cheating on my husband with was the orchestrator of his downfall. How the hell did I not see that coming?My jaw was literally on the floor. “I am going to have a fucking long talk with that bastard! He will pay for everything he has done to me! I was going him deceiving you slide for a while but it's obvious that he wants war!” I stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Dante, wait. You can’t just go after him like
/-Piper-/“So what do we do now?” I asked him. “Do about what?” Dante asked me. “If this is about Eric then forget…”“I am not talking about Eric,” i spat his name in disgust. The bastard's name simply irritated me now. Thinking of it now, I couldn't believe I stooped so low to allow myself to be fooled by him. “I'm talking about Maxmillan. Remember the case with Gianna's parents? He told us to tune ourselves in and we both know we can't do that,” I said and Dante let out a sigh. “Right! I almost forgot about that. A lot of things are just happening at once. It's hard to focus,” he said and I felt a little sad I was one of the reasons for that. “You were right. I should have gotten rid of her when I had the chance now she is back to bite us in the ass.” “I think we should try begging her,” I said and he frowned instantly. “Beg who?” He huffed. “That thing? She should be the one begging me!” “Now is not the time for arrogance, Dante. Don't forget she is Maxmillian's wife. He wil
/-Piper-/I stared at Dante’s message longer than I should have. The words were harsh, meant to make me cower, but deep down, I knew Dante. I knew that no matter how furious he was, no matter how many mistakes I’d made, he still loved me.The realization hit me like a weight to the chest. Maybe I didn’t deserve it, but I had to go back. I couldn’t let everything I had with him slip away because of my confusion.I wanted to believe that the mess I’d made could still be fixed. I thought that if I apologized, if I explained the pain, the fear I had been running from, Dante would listen. He always did before, right? He would hear me out. He would understand that I was lost, that I didn’t know where to turn.I kept replaying the conversation with Eric in my head. How he had looked at me, his eyes dark with irritation when I mentioned leaving Dante. How he had shrugged me off, his smile never quite reaching his eyes when I spoke of love.Eric wasn’t the answer. I had let him be a distractio