LOGINELENA I paced around in my room, tapping the marker over my left palm. My hand must have been numb from the endless tapping, because later, it felt weird when I held my fork to eat. I had called Rafael about an hour ago. I had shamelessly called him and yelled at him to come to the manor. What was I even thinking? I didn't even know where I got such guts from. I mean I was still upset with him, wasn't I? Who was I kidding? He wasn't going to come. Who was I to boss that macho man around? A knock came on my door. I swallowed hard, eyeing the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, I twisted the knob and as soon as the door opened, Rafael slid in. "What's wrong?" Concern was etched all over his face, his brows furrowed. He was slightly panting like he ran all the way here. Wasn't he upset that I had yelled at him? scratch that, strands of his hair were glued to the sweat on his forehead and he somehow looked hotter. He reached out to hold my hand. "I'm sorry for yelling a
ELENA I pulled the door open. The road to the kitchen couldn't have been more blocked. Closing it shut, barely avoiding the sound of the click, I breathed heavily against the door. On the other side of the door, across the room, the Don stood with a man. Talking. I saw the Don's face—how had he managed to look even older than he actually was? I peeled the door open an inch to look. The man he was talking to had his back to me, his shoulders broad and wide. He was quite tall. The back of his head was coated with strands of grey hair, some black at the ends. The Don started coughing violently and the other man patted him on his shoulders. Was that his brother? He seemed concerned. Oh, he killed his brother, damn. So who is that? After what seemed like a while, the Don hurried into his study. I stood perfectly still, watching from the sliver of space I had opened in my room door. If he caught me, I'd be dead meat. I was about to close my door when he came back out, this t
RAFAEL My heart seemed to stop beating in my chest. My mother? I turned around, staring at him. He was cool, detached even, like he had not dropped the most explosive bomb on me. How did he know my mom? I don't remember her. Why don't I remember her, and why does he? I finally found my voice. "What do you know about her?" The only hint of vulnerability in my voice. He caught on to it and I knew he would latch on to it. "Oh, a lot, but that's a story for another day." I balled my hands into fists. I didn't want to look interested. But I was. Giving him a weak spot to exploit was something I could not afford. "I've never seen a man that loved to bluff like you," I retorted in a breath. I had released my body from the stiff hold that his words had held me. "Oh, I don't bluff, boy, and you know it." He lifted himself to now face me. "And I couldn't care less." I stepped forward, invading every bit of his personal space. "If I knew the type of weapon you'd turn out to b
ELENA I watched him lock the door after chasing Celine. I was going to get back at her for this betrayal. "What do you want?" I asked, walking to my bed, unsure of what to say to him. My anger was still simmering slowly but I didn't want to throttle him anymore or hit him or cry and slap him and all the messy things I wanted to do. "I want you." He walked towards me slowly, like he was walking to a wounded animal, scared that it would run away. "I don't want you," I lied, just like the Don had lied to him, if I believed his story, emphasis on 'if'. "I don't think so." He was now in front of me. "You wouldn't know what I think." I scoffed as he squatted to my eye level. Damn, this man was tall. He let his hand graze my cheek as he pulled my flushed face back to look at him. "I do." His voice was low. "I know you, Elena." He breathed my name out like he was holding on to it for his dear life. His hand traced my cheek down to my neck, his face inching closer. I knew what he was
RAFAEL I picked up the ringing phone from the bed, a towel still wrapped around my waist. "Adalfieri is at the manor." Enzo didn't let me speak as he blasted through. "What?" "He's at the manor right now. And I heard he went there a few days ago too." "But Alex, why would he let him in?" I placed the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I shuffled through my clothes. "I don't know," he sounded frantic, rushed. "Just hold on, I'm on my way." I ended the call, picked up my car keys, and zoomed off. As I entered the manor, the ever-present eerie quiet hit me first. I made a beeline straight to Alex's office. I raised my hand to the door, my other hand in a fist by my side. If Adalfieri was really there... I knocked once, then opened the door. My breath caught in my throat. Adalfieri was there, sitting opposite the Don, separated by the center table in the office. The smell of cigars hung heavily in the air. Their discussion and laughter were cut short when they noticed m
Rafael "Wait, I don't understand. I thought he wanted a divorce." Enzo blinked rapidly, settling with the new revelation. I hadn't told him before that the Don pulled a gun on her. What would he have done if I wasn't there? "He said he wanted to humiliate her and drag the rest of her family name through the mud." "So how did he go from that to wanting to kill her?" "Because he's always wanted to kill her. He's just a crazy bastard." I bit back all the things I wanted to say—how stupid I felt, how stupid I'd been to trust him so blindly. "I let myself believe him. I obeyed him blindly like a puppet." Enzo heaved a heavy sigh, staring into nothing. For what seemed like forever, none of us spoke. I needed to fix this. I needed to make her trust me—and make him pay, boss or not. "Well, sitting here and sulking over a bottle of really expensive and rare alcohol wouldn't help," Enzo remarked, looking at the bottle. A weak attempt at humor. I ignored him for a while before I finally
ELENA "Whatever I did, I did to protect you. I did it so you could be free." I scoffed, not interrupting him as he continued. "Alex. He was on to us. The Don, he assured me that if I tried to seduce you and give him proof of your infidelity, he would only humiliate you in the famiglia and the
Elena My head pounded in a circle around my skull. My eyes fluttered open to the rays of sunlight pouring into my room. I groaned and lifted myself from the bed, my mind foggy. A deep ache pulled at my heart. Last night. A nightmare. I had a nightmare last night. It must have been. I forced my
Elena “You whore,” he yelled, with less surprise than I had expected, but his words—still heavy—cracked through the room, sharp and sudden, and my body reacted before my mind did. I tore myself out of Rafael’s arms, my heart thundering in my chest so hard it felt lodged at the base of my throat,
Elena It had been a while since I'd seen the Don. In fact, since we got to the island, he had no use for me. But today was the day we had to keep up appearances. My stomach twisted into a thousand knots, and my hands trembled as I sat silently on my bed—already dressed, already ready. Just waitin







