Masuk“Amore” He whispered.
He was so strong she couldn’t fight any longer even while she struggled against his grip he slapped her across the face as she continuously yelled for help with a voice cracked in the empty rain-soaked street.
“Let her go”
The heavy husky voice cut through the dark. The attacker’s grin widened with amusement when he turned and saw the new man standing there under the dim streetlight.
“And you are?”
Vincenzo’s eyes revealed a dangerous confidence. Then his eyes flicked towards a cold and shaken Rose before locking back on the man.
“I wouldn’t ask if I were you” He dared question him after he touched his Rose, his flower.
“You touched my—” Immediately his fists collided with his jaw. He picked him up by his shirt and mercilessly beat him, each blow heavy and controlled. But Rose intervened on his behalf, her voice desperate and shaky
“Don’t kill him, please”
That moment, he let go of him and walked towards her, picking her up in his arms as she immediately coiled her legs into a fitted and comfortable position. Her mind now trailed to his last word at that point, she was already his the moment he walked out of the bar after teasing her, making sure she wasn’t going to think of another man other than him.
---
Earlier that night after leaving the bar, Vincenzo had taken a call on the quiet street.
“There’s an issue at the warehouse. We need you now”
“I’m busy. Report to stefano”
“It’s serious”
“Handle it. I’ll come when I’m done”
He ended the call, lit a cigarette and took a slow drag. Smoke curled into the cold night air as he stared into the dark thinking about the young small Black girl from the bar, the way she had trembled, the sound of her frightened voice and the way she looked when she was scared. He watched her leave work with that boy Kelvin who gave her a quick hug again.
She didn’t realize her whole body already belonged to him alone.
He followed her at a distance, slowly walking after her to avoid any form of noise. When he noticed someone chasing after her, something dark and possessive settled in his chest.
His woman.
His flower.
After he picked her up he didn’t feel irritated. Instead he took her home through the rain.
“You’re mine” he whispered beneath his breath.
Inside the warm house he pulled the ruined blouse off her shoulders and handed her a new one his.
“Quiet” he only said “A maid will be with you shortly.”
He walked out leaving her to breathe out loud before checking the interior of his sitting room. Dark wood, low lights and expensive silence surrounded her.
“Miss, Master said to show you to the guest room”
She stood up trying to act and stay guarded “Just call me Rose.”
He stood at the corner watching her carefully. He always had this reaction when a lady touched him or when he touched one.
But this girl, Rose was different.
She was different, like someone that was created for him.
After she was done freshening up, she laid on the soft mattress inhaling his perfume that filled all corners of her nose. The more she perceived it, the more she felt something she knew she shouldn’t.
She was lost in thought and didn’t notice him standing there shirtless with that powerful aura.
“Master never brings any lady home. You’re special” Georgia the maid’s voice lingered on her mind the moment she saw him standing at the doorway then her heart raced again.
“Why?” she had asked earlier stopping her her tracks as Georgia can in contact with his clothes lying on her hand. Georgia’s eyes glimmered with unspoken words.
“He never lets anyone touch his clothes let alone wear them” her voice lingered again as he stepped into the room.
“Don’t stare” he said. She froze in her spot.
No.
She was a Christian.
Lust should be the last thing on her mind and he was a stranger, a stranger she watched kill someone and then save her, now she was at his home wearing his shirt. He watched her for a long moment, then turned and walked out to his room.
Alone, the thought of how vulnerable she looked made him hard.
“Fuck!!" He cursed under his breath as his hand pumped himself faster than he imagined, thinking about her on him, their sweat mixing.
He finished with another low “Fuck” before heading to the bathroom.
She was making him go crazy.
And he needed to make her much crazier so she would find herself running back to him.
When he came back into the room she was still lost in thoughts on the soft mattress. She only noticed him after a while.
“Done staring?”
“No no” She panicked, looking away not realizing that the man standing opposite her was a demon.
“Strip”
“What?" Her feet began trembling at his request. Rose’s hand moved to his shirt, she began straightening it and no matter how much she dragged it, the shirt hunged to her laps.
" I'm not…uh!”
" No panties?”
" Yes sir “ He came closer as his large expressive eyes dominated her delicate features revealing emotions she tried to hide.
“Strip!" He commanded
“Give Mama a kiss, will you?”Lucas went stylishly silent, rolled his eyes in full drama then kissed her cheek. A second later he blushed and whispered,“If only I was a man, I would have married you.”Rose stared at him, dumbfounded as he pressed one more quick kiss to her lips and danced off toward his classmates with his backpack bouncing against his shoulders. Every day he found a new way to surprise her.“Even that he took from his dad,” she murmured.Her eyes dropped to her ring finger…empty, the memory of the night he proposed rose sharp and unwanted, gold light and a black dress and the way her hands had shaken when he slid the ring on. She twisted the bare skin where it used to sit and felt, for a second like her life had ended with that missing circle of metal.During summer she had stumbled on something while helping Mrs. Johnson with the harvest. The ring had fallen from her pocket into the warm soil between the rows. The sight dragged old memories up so hard she threw it
“Vvvvvvvv” His name left her mouth as his body hit the water. She watched Stefano dive in after him with his black suit disappearing into the red-stained sea.“Please. Let me see him.”But no one listened. Rose was dragged away with Isabel gripping her so hard it hurt. Deep down she knew Vincenzo had a thousand questions he would never get to ask. The search began that same night, boats, lights and men shouting across the dark even Stefano found nothing. Rose never forgot how the sea turned red as his body went under. She still hated the sight of blood.“Mommy, watch.” Lucas’s voice pulled her back just before the milk she was pouring overflowed the cup and spilled across the table and floor in a pale white mess.“Sorry, baby. Mommy is thinking about a lot of things right now.”Lucas smiled like he already understood she was a thinker. He touched her arm, small and steady, and the warmth of him made her shoulders loosen. When she looked at him fully, she saw Vincenzo in the shape of
FIVE YEARS LATER“Kill him.” Those words still echoed in Rose’s ears, louder some days than others. She did not realize how long she had been sitting on the bench by the lake path until a voice pulled her back to the present.“Miss Keller Niel.”She wiped her tears quickly, stood, and went to the counter. A short exchange later she hung up, shoved the money into her back pocket, and left with a thin smile. House rent was covered for another year.Five years had passed since that night on the ship. Five years since she found out she was pregnant. Not a day went by without her thinking of him and every memory left the same unhealed pain behind her ribs.“Vvvvvvvvvvv…..” Her own voice still lived in her head. She could still see herself screaming as the bullets found him, as he fought toward the edge and jumped into black water. She could still feel Victor’s men holding her back while she fought and cried until her throat burned.“No. No. No.”“Why, Victor?” Isabel’s arms had been the on
The moment Vincenzo stepped onto the boat he knew Victor had planned every detail. The air carried that deep avocado scent he had always hated, thick enough to sit at the back of his throat.“Victor.” Victor faced him under the deck lights and laughed under his breath, like the whole night had been built for this exact meeting.“Here you are. Killing yourself for a piece of shit.”Vincenzo had been trained to stay cold in situations like this, his shoulders were steady and his face unreadable. He showed no fear and no weakness and that alone made Victor shift on his feet.“Where is she?”“It is time, Rose Keller Niel.”Rose wiped her palms against her dress and stepped forward from the shadows between Victor’s men. Her pulse was loud in her ears.“What sick game are you playing, Victor?” Her voice came out harsher than she expected. She turned to leave and was caught hard by the arm.“Open your eyes. It is his clan that made you this way. Have you forgotten what they did to you? To yo
“It’s time!”Rose knew that voice too well. She washed her face with cold water, pressed a hand against her heart, and turned to face him under the harsh bathroom light.The plan had been simple on paper. Lead Vincenzo into a trap, have him captured. But she already knew Victor had other plans buried under that one, darker and less clean. He closed the space between them and forced her face up toward his as his fingers dug into her jaw. She tried to pull away and failed.“Do not touch me.”Victor only pushed closer, using his body to pin her against the cold edge of the sink until the marble bit into her back. After more struggling he finally stepped back and gave her air. Rose gasped, fingers pressed to her stomach, then looked at the mirror. Victor’s reflection stood clear behind her, calm as if none of this cost him anything.“Have you thought of a plan to lead him to us?” she asked, voice shaking but firm. She still had not told Vincenzo a word since she agreed to this new version
“I love you, Vincenzo.” She whispered it after the kiss. He smiled in a way that reached his eyes.“I’ll wait for you inside.”He left her there to gather herself. The second he was gone the weight in her chest dropped hard against her palm, she kept murmuring the same words under her breath while the night air moved around her.It’s going to be okay.“Mrs. Lombardi. If I may say.” The last person she wanted to see stepped into view under the ship lights. No matter how carefully she tried to avoid him tonight, he would always find her.“Did you tell him?” Rose shut her eyes tight so the tears would not fall and ruin what was left of the night.“Victor, please stop.” That was all she gave him before she walked onto the ship.The Masked Gathering was magnificent, crystal chandeliers threw soft light across elegantly dressed guests, and expensive jewelries caught every sparkle. Masks covered every face, even the bartenders moving between trays of dark liquor. Along one side of the podium







