Chapter 1

Gianna.

I was at the club, the music in full blast and a glass of whiskey in my hand as I stood in the middle of the club’s VVIP lounge dancing with my friends.

I had just splashed a huge amount of money into buying myself an early engagement gift, and I couldn’t have been happier with my dreams of getting married to my first love coming to reality.

I had loved Javier since we were kids. We did things together, shared our first kiss at the age of eight, went to college, and made plans of spending the rest of our lives together.

I was a spoiled mafia princess, I got everything I wanted and never lacked anything except the warmth of a mother, but my father was always there to fill that void.

“Are you sure you don’t want to answer that?” Gracie, my best friend asked as she stared at my phone which was vibrating.

“Don’t worry, I just want to have fun,” I replied reluctantly as I walked over to the bar to get a refill.

When I returned I met my father’s men grabbing my friends and ordering them to leave the lounge.

“You are coming with us,” one of them said, grabbing me by my arm.

“No, I won’t,” I pushed him away and grabbed my phone, slid the answer button.

“Papa…”

“Come home now!” He bellowed and the line went off with a beeping sound.

I had no choice. I went home with the men, but I couldn’t help but notice how the estate was in ruins when we drove in. 

Cars had their windscreen shattered, blood stains were on the floor and some of my father’s men were badly injured.

It was like a war was fought and lost. I panicked with my breath rising and falling as I stretched my neck to get a better glimpse.

“What the hell happened here?” I turned to the men flanked by my sides.

They only glared at me without uttering a word. The gate was ajar, so we drove right into the compound.

The moment I stepped out of the car, something cracked beneath my heels, and there were shards of glass everywhere.

It splintered under my weight as I walked, the sound too loud in the eerie silence of the estate. My eyes dropped slowly to my shoes.

They were stained. Dark red soaked into the pale leather, sticky and fresh. I froze.

That wasn’t wine, it wasn’t paint either… it was blood.

My father’s men.

Our men… their blood spilled across the floor of the building with bullets scattered across the floor.

My chest tightened as I lifted my foot and watched it peel slightly from the ground.

I quickly ran into the house, my eyes darting around for my father.

“Papa!” I cried out.

“Papa,” I ran through the hallway leading to his study but one of his men held me back and dragged me back into the living room.

“You wait here,” he ordered. My heart kept pounding in fright, I was confused and didn’t know what to think.

Should I call Javier? 

My fingers trembled as they hovered over my phone but the next thing I felt was a smack across my face.

I staggered backward, my phone fell from my hand to the floor as I held both hands on my cheek.

“Where are you coming from?” My father’s voice thundered.

“Papa…”

Two more slaps struck across my face, but I didn’t say a word. I just stared at my father with my eyes blurred with tears, confusion etched across my face.

What the heck was going on?

“Where the hell were you when my men were being killed?” He roared, his eyes bloodshot with fury.

“I was at the club, I told you…” My voice cracked. I have never seen my father this angry, but I was more worried about his anger than what happened at the estate.

“Club?” He scoffed disappointingly.

“That’s all you know how to do,” he continued. He took out his phone and shoved it at me.

“I make money and you spend it recklessly. We are fucking broke and my head will roll in the desert if I don’t act fast,” he said with pain etched in his voice.

My hands shook as I held the phone which displayed the Lamborghini I had just bought. 

The fucking internet.

“Papa, what happened here?” I sniffed, my eyes drifting from the shattered vases to the blood stains on the floors and walls.

“We were attacked by Don Vittorio Caruso, “ he replied, he paced to and fro the large living room with his hands digging into his silver hair as he thought of what to do next.

“What the fuck does he want?” I cried out. I hated seeing my father this way. I hated the fact that I saw my trauma surfacing after many years of healing.

I was just seven the day it happened. I was in the room with my mother as she read me bedtime stories that night.

Suddenly, we heard a loud bang. There were gunshots, I was scared and began to cry but my mother covered my mouth with her hands shushing me but I cried even harder.

They heard my cry and barged into the room, she begged that I was only a child but they didn’t listen to her. She was shot right in the forehead… she died in my arms… protecting me.

“Papa, what do they want?” I asked calmly like I had plans.

Father, who had his back against me, slowly turned to look at me. For the first time, my father had tears in his eyes.

“You… he wants you.” His voice trembled.

I staggered backwards when I heard him say that. At first I thought it was a joke, but the way my father stared at me… he was helpless. 

“No… no, papa.” I shook my head, tears streaming down my red cheeks.

“I wish I could say all this was a joke but it’s not,” he grunted, tightening his fists in frustration.

“How much do you owe him?” I asked through muffled tears.

He shook his head sadly… I knew it was a lot.

“I… I owe him… my life,” he stuttered as he disclosed.

“Wha… what?” My body gave way and I sank to the floor which was covered in blood and glass.

“Bambina, he promised to treat you well till I have the money. Can you do this for your father, for papa?”

My cries as I sat there were silent. My chest ached so bad that I couldn’t cry out. I was getting married in two days and I’m meant to be taken away by a mafia don who was my father’s boss because he wouldn’t pay off his debts?

I cleared my throat as I wiped off my tears with the back of my hand. “I’ll do it.”

“I’ll do it… for mama,” I said firmly.

“Are you sure?” He cupped my face in his hands, looking into my brown eyes, I fought back the tears. I wanted to stay strong for him, I wasn’t about to lose another parent to this cruel mafia cartel.

“Yeah. I’ll go with him and do whatever he wants till you can raise the money.” I forced a smile to calm the storms brewing inside him.

He was about to say something when a van pulled up outside and two hefty men rushed into the living room. Without a word, they grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the house and into the van.

Papa didn’t fight… he couldn’t do anything but watch in silence, defeat and shame.

I didn’t scream. I was already prepared, maybe it was time to live up to my title as a mafia heir and get the job done.

“Holla Gianna!” A familiar voice said. I turned to look at who it was.

Stefano De Caruso, son of Don Vittorio Caruso. The dreaded mafia boss of Dallas and beyond who refused to rule under his father but became his rival instead.

But what the hell?

I was meant to be in the van with his father and not him.