LOGINORTENSIA I met Rico in the shadow of the back staircase, far from the prying eyes of the main security hub. He looked frazzled, his usual stoic mask slipping just enough to show the frustration underneath.Without a word, he reached into his jacket and handed me a small, nondescript brown paper bag. Inside, I could feel the light, plastic rattle of the pregnancy test strips.“I don’t get it, Miss Ortensia,” Rico muttered, shaking his head. He looked exhausted, the scars on his face tight with tension.“I was ten minutes away from Dr. Kay’s lab. Then you text me to turn around? Why the retreat?” He asked.I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Rico. I know you risked a lot to get out there. But look at it this way… we’re about to jump off a cliff without checking if there’s water at the bottom. What if there is no baby? What if Eleonora is just a world-class actress playing us all for fools?”Rico paused, his eyes narrowing as he processed the thought.“If we do this home test and it’s neg
Ortensia stood shivering, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest, staring at the man she loved… the man who had just dismantled her entire future with a single sentence of honor."What are your plans, Vito?" she had asked, her voice sounding like dry leaves skittering over stone. "If it’s true… what happens?"He looked like a statue of some ancient, unforgiving god. "If she carries to term," he began, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that seemed to vibrate in Ortensia’s very bones."I will conduct a formal paternity test the moment the child is born. And if that child is mine, Ortensia… I won’t reject it. I cannot abandon my own blood. I will provide for it. I will bring it into the fold."The words felt like a physical assault. Ortensia felt her breath hitch, a sharp, stabbing pain blooming in the center of her chest. It wasn’t just jealousy, it was a profound, soul-crushing sense of loss.She had spent countless nights imagining her own future with Vito, dreaming of the day sh
ORTENSIA The crying girl had left a trail of shattered confidence in her wake. I stood in my room, looking down at the manicure kit she had dropped on the rug.My guilt over Maria was quickly replaced by a cold, sharpening focus. If I wanted this done, I couldn’t outsource it to a terrified servant. I had to walk into the lion’s den myself.I picked up the kit, feeling the weight of the metal. I took a deep breath and pulled a pair of thin, translucent latex gloves from my vanity drawer. I needed to be careful… no fingerprints, no contamination.I didn't head for the library. I knew Vito. When his world was crumbling, he didn't stay inside the walls he built, he went to the edge of them.I found him in the far corner of the gardens, near the stone fountain. He was sitting on a stone bench, a bottle of amber liquid clutched in one hand and a half-burnt cigarette in the other.He looked disheveled… the iron-pressed shirt he’d worn earlier was wrinkled, his top buttons undone, his dark
ORTENSIA I stayed in my old room… the one I’d been given when I first arrived as a captive. Returning to it felt like a regression, but the shared master suite was currently haunted by the ghost of a night Vito couldn’t remember and I couldn’t forget.I stared at my reflection. My eyes were no longer red from weeping. They were clear, cold, and fixed on a goal. But there was a problem: I was a queen under house arrest. Vito’s protection was just a prettier word for incarceration. Every exit was manned by soldiers, and every car that left the gates was logged.If I wanted to move against Eleonora, I couldn't do it as myself. I needed someone.I went left my room, as if I were merely a grieving woman taking the air. I found Rico near the perimeter.He was checking the security feeds on a handheld tablet, his face a map of scars that Vito himself had carved from the previous torture, it was a gamble. Vito had tortured this man, nearly broken his soul, and yet Rico had returned to the f
Ortensia wasn't just crying, she was leaking soul-deep agony, the kind of raw, jagged weeping that made her small frame shudder.“Ortensia, please,” Vito begged.The sound was wrong… it was a crack in a voice that was supposed to be made of iron and blood. He reached for her, his large hands trembling, but she recoiled as if his touch were a brand of white-hot coal.“Don’t touch me! I’m leaving, Vito! I am done being the doll you keep in a golden cage while you’re out filling other women with your lies!” Her voice was a shriek, raw and stripped of its usual elegance.“You aren’t going anywhere!” Vito roared back. It wasn't a threat of violence, but a cry of pure, unadulterated desperation. He stepped into her spacs.“I didn't know what came over me, doll. I swear to you on my life, on my soul, I wasn't in my right mind when they... when it happened. I was under the influence of alcohol.”Ortensia let out a jagged, mocking laugh that ended in a sob. “Alcohol? You’re Vito Marino. You
The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on as Eleonora brushed past Vito, her shoulder glancing off his in a move that was purely intentional.She stepped into the mansion, shaking the rain from her hair like a cat that had just claimed a new territory. Vito didn’t even look at her, his eyes were glued to Ortensia. She looked so small standing there in that oversized robe, but her voice had carried the weight of a judge passing a sentence.Vito didn't wait for Eleonora to settle. He turned on his heel and followed Ortensia as she retreated toward their master suite, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He shut the door behind them."What the hell was that, doll?" Vito demanded, his voice a low, vibrating growl. He paced the length of the rug, his hands shoved deep into his pockets to keep them from shaking."Why would you invite that woman into this house? Why would you ask her to come in?" He asked.Ortensia didn't look at him. She walked over to the window
VITO Today was the day we were leaving for the yacht party Valentino had invited us to. Four days ago, Enzo had come back with his report, saying Valentino was too clean. The kind of clean that made my gut twist. Nobody in power ever came out spotless, there was always dirt, always blood somewhere
VITO It had been a week since the gala, and I could finally breathe. Ortensia’s unease that night had stayed with me longer than I expected. Most girls would have flourished under attention, flashing smiles at cameras, hanging on a wealthy man’s every word.But not Ortensi, she had that resistance
ORTENSIA A well-dressed host stepped onto the stage, commanding attention with an effortless charm. We sank back into our seats, the weight of the earlier interview and Vito’s public announcement lingering in my chest.My mind still raced, and my heart still pounding, as I tried to focus. The host
ORTENSIA When we arrived at the exclusive gala event, a chauffeur in a black suit opened the door for us with a polite nod. I stepped out first, my heels clicking against the marble driveway, the evening breeze brushing my skin.Vito followed, fixing his jacket, calm as always. Julio drove the ca







