ANMELDENEleonora was still perched on that window ledge, her fingers white-knuckled as she gripped the frame, but her bluff had just been incinerated by the look in Vito’s eyes.She had come here expecting a tabloid scandal or a hefty payout, playing a game meant for the paparazzi and the gossip columns. She hadn't realized she was playing with a man who operated in a world where reputation was protected by shallow graves and silenced witnesses.Vito didn't even look at her as he spoke to Enzo. He looked like he was ordering a drink, not a hit. "Enzo. Give her a hand."Enzo reached behind his back and drew his gun with a practiced, metallic click that echoed off the marble walls. He didn't point it yet.He held it at his side, his finger resting near the trigger guard, waiting for the slight nod from his boss that would end the model’s life before she even hit the ground outside."Wait... Vito, please," Eleonora stammered. The high-pitched, screeching defiance was gone, replaced by a thin, s
Ortensia stood by the door, her fingers digging into the wood of the frame. She had spent the last hour feeling like she was fighting a war on two fronts.. one against the woman trying to steal her life, and another against the man she wasn't sure she could ever trust again.She hadn’t truly expected Vito to back her play. Not after the garden, not after he had admitted that he would accept a child from Eleonora if it were his.She had expected him to be the shield for the expectant mother, to tell Rico to stand down and treat the model with the respect her supposed condition demanded.But Vito was done with respect. He stood like a monolith of dark intent in the center of the room, his eyes fixed on Eleonora with a terrifying, predatory stillness.“Vito...” Eleonora stammered, her voice a thin, shaky thread. The smug, cat-like grin she had worn while being fed grapes was gone, replaced by a frantic, wide-eyed twitch.“Vito, you can't be serious. You're going to let her do this? You'r
ORTENSIA Eleonora’s screams were high and shrill, the kind of sound that sets your teeth on edge. She was thrashing against the headboard, her eyes wide and wild as she stared at Rico’s scarred face."Vito didn’t approve of this!" she shrieked, her voice cracking. "He would kill you if he saw you touching me like this! You’re just a dog, Rico! Get away from me!"I didn’t even blink. I turned my head toward the cluster of servants who were still standing there, frozen with their oil bottles and grape trays."Scram," I said, my voice cutting through the air. "Now. If I see any of you in this hallway in five seconds, you’re fired. Or worse."They didn't need to be told twice. They dropped what they were holding… the sound of glass shattering on the marble echoed through the room, and scrambled out the door like their lives depended on it.In seconds, the room was empty of everyone but me, the terrified model, and Rico, who was already in front of her, his hand clamped firmly around her
ORTENSIA 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
A few minutes passed after Vito left, and I just laid there staring at the ceiling, my stomach aching like it was screaming through my skin. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a knock on the door.I sat up slowly, and confused. Vito? No way. That man won’t knock on his own bedroom door. He walks in like
“Why did you…” I started to speak, my voice low, tired, and my stomach still twisting in hunger and anger, but she cut me off like my words didn’t matter.“Oh please,” she said, already rolling her eyes, her voice fake like some actress playing innocent on stage. “Why did I what? You think I did th
It was that day when I stepped into the room… the one Vito was furious about when I broke the ash of his late brother. My eyes landed on the photo album. I opened it carefully, flipping through the pages. Then, there was this woman’s face… This woman, right there in one of the pictures.My heart sk
“I’m gonna cum,” he said, his voice low and his eyes shut, like he was praying. His hips rolled with rhythm, each movement a silent demand, each thrust deep and certain.Ortensia felt him tense that moment before release when time folds. Then warmth spilled into her mouth, and she froze. “Swallow







