***
PROLOGUE
GABRIELLE POV
I crashed onto the floor, gasping in pain, my fingers clawing at the wet floor as the rain poured in torrents around me.
I spat out blood, my insides quaking with every little move I made. I wanted to give up but I couldn't stay down. A Genovese never stayed down, even if I was tired, staying down meant defeat. Defeat meant death. And I couldn't die now, not after everything. Not after all the sacrifices I'd made to get this far.
from the corner of my eyes, I could see Grandfather gazing down at me with a disapproving look on his face as he slowly rubbed at his beard. I struggled to my feet clutching my broken arm, holding my opponent's gaze as I tried to gauge him to find any sort of weaknesses, something I should have done right from the start. I focused my good eyes on him- the other was shut and mangled over from his deadly punch_ trying to anticipate his next move. He was larger than me, an ugly scar marring his hideous face.
He was one of our soldata. An older male, trained by grandfather himself... he'd been my trainer too. I was just a child. But grandfather has always droned it in my head that I was never to be weak, and that my enemies would always be bigger, so what I lacked in size, I was to make up for it with my brain and cunningness.
I took a deep breath as I felt the rage of all the battles I'd been put through coursed through my skin, my veins, and every pore of my being. They feel like nails scratching at me, tearing at my soul with deliberate slowness and driving me mad in the process. The night I lost my father to a rival clan became a living nightmare in my head. The spray of his warm blood as they caught my cheek and soaked up my clothes like flashing images. The hitman had continued to fire shot after shot at him, even though father's chest bled through the dozens of holes he'd already put in. The hitman must have come with the knowledge that he was going to get killed, and on that thought decided to let all his anger soar like fireworks.
Grandfather's men had shot him in the head, but he died with a smile on his face, while I watched in horror as the only man who cared about me crashed to the floor, the life draining from his warm eyes. My father's corpse was unrecognizable, and everything was over in a matter of minutes.
My life changed. For the worst. After some months, all I felt was resentment at my father for allowing himself to get shot, and I being forced to take his place, losing my chance to enjoy my childhood, forced to fight for my life, tortured and forced to torture, locked up in the dark, reconditioned until I lost my humanity.
I glared at my opponent as if he was the cause of the injustice I'd suffered. In a way, he was, and all I wanted to do was make him bleed. He was the one standing in the way of my grandfather's approval anyway.
I dashed for my long-forgotten weapon, a small dagger that I had been gifted on my tenth birthday. He came after me like a predator, taking his time, baiting me. He probably thought he'd already won.
I snatched up my weapon, but instead of lunging for him, I maneuvered out of his grasp and the move caught him by surprise he almost lost his footing, barely managing to strengthen his stance, but then I got my chance, and I went in swiftly, stabbing through his shoulder blades. Warm blood spurted out and I grinned in the knowledge that I'd hit a major artery.
He punched me hard, the impact hitting me like a freight train. My head almost came off my head. I crumbled to the floor. The taste of copper filled my mouth and flowed down my lungs. I clutched at the dirt, trying to hold onto something that would keep me conscious, but I couldn't will myself to move. I rolled on my side, and I felt the world tilt on its axis as blood dripped from my nose.
I tried to ignore the burning pain, focusing rather on being able to breathe again. He came up to me but I felt him stagger, he was losing a lot of blood. That was a good thing because I wasn't sure I had anything left in me. I clutched my dagger, the last spark in my chest frazzling.
His strong hands grabbed my shoulder in a bruising grip. He turned me over, and I used the force to propel myself forward. My dagger sliced at his neck in a clean swipe. He froze, staring eyes wide at me, the only reaction he showed was a twitch at his temple.
He let go of me, staggering a bit, his hands flying up to his neck to try to stop the torrent of blood flowing, eyes widening further when he realized that he was dying. I watched him, on my knees even as I heaved and struggled to stay conscious. His blood spurted onto my face, like warm candle wax, before he crumpled in front of me, life and anger draining from his eyes, leaving only soulless sockets behind.
The rain washed away the blood, washing my sins along with it. I watched Grandfather stand from the corner of my eye. He gave me a dark smile and walked out of the fighting arena.
I lay there for the longest time. The rain fell in a cascade over me until my cries were replaced with hysteric laughter. The empire would finally be mine. I'd endured so much, killed, tortured, all for my grandfather's approval. He'd been holding off on his promise, but not anymore.
He'd sworn on his life that I'd be his heir if I could win. I broke bones, fractured ribs, and almost lost an eye, but I pulled through.
The dark glint in his eyes had hinted at mischief but I was done living in uncertainty.
I didn't care how many opponents he sent my way, none of them would be able to take what I'd earned fair and square. Anyone who tried to take my place will pay with their blood. They didn't know what was coming for them. They had no idea the blaze that would soon sweep through their territory. Grandfather wanted terror and that was what he was going to get.
I was not going to stop. I was going to live. I was going to fucking survive no matter what.
***10 YEARS LATER.Gabrielle pulled on a white shirt, watching her reflection in the mirror. Faded scars littered her back, a bullet wound at the side of her hip. A deeper scar from a butcher knife graced her stomach like an eerie reminder of how close she had gotten to death at the hands of her own family. She smiled as she remembered the scream of her eldest uncle as she chopped off his toes and fingers. She had wanted to end him, but he was family and Genovese hadn't given her permission.She grimaced at the memory. Even if she was the Capomandamento, her grandfather was still- what the weaklings that thought knew their family- referred to as Capo dei Capri, the boss of all bosses. A grin tugged on her lips. It was a suitable name when she thought about it. He wielded all control, choosing only to give pieces of the crumbs to those he felt were worthy. He was a snake. He'd lied to her and he was still lying. Gabrielle tugged on her three-piece suit, ruffled her short silver hair
GABRIELLE'S POVThe door to my office swung open, breaking my concentration, and the culprit did not even bother to be gentle when he closed it. I glanced up from my laptop, my reprimand dying on my lips as our eyes clashed.If it wasn't for his casual appearance, I would have thought he was a Mafia Don or a cop, and no wonder since he carried himself like a person who wielded authority, and wasn't usually on the receiving end of a command. Was he a businessman? There was no meeting scheduled for me this morning or did Elena forget again?I assessed him from head to toe as he got closer to my desk. He seemed to have no flaw, and he looked almost too perfect, and that narrowed down to two things in my head, He was either an undercover detective or just some guy my rivals sent as a distraction. They knew the kind of men I liked. This one fits the bills and more.I watched him watch me. His blue eyes were intense, and he seemed to have no trouble holding my gaze steadily. It was both in
GABRIELLE POVMy captive's gaze snapped up, noticing me for the first time and his rage was indescribable. Luciano should have had him gagged."You stupid bitch! How dare you fucking do this to me... You're digging your early grave. Genovese won't take too kindly to you killing an associate. You better let me go before you regret all this stupid..." he was saying before I backhanded him across the face, his head snapped to the side. He took his time, letting the shock of the hit register before he turned to face me. His gaze was venomous and filled with so much hate that I'd probably be dead if looks could kill. Too bad it couldn't. I wanted to carve out those eyes of his and feed them to my hounds. I stepped closer and gripped his jaw. He tried to shake my hold but I was unyielding. "I didn't plan to kill you at the start Edward, but you've just pissed me off with your trash mouth. A word of advice...learn from this, so you don't make the same mistake in the afterlife OK" I said, p
BLAKE MORENO POV.I stood until I felt my backache, and my legs felt like lead, with a pinprick sensation rippling through it from standing in a specific position for so long. It was ridiculous. I had never met a woman that spoke with so much power that I felt I had to obey her or at least pretend to but was I really pretending to obey her when I'd literally been standing exactly where she'd left me before she left the office.Gabrielle was dangerous, that much was clear. She was also not a simple woman. At first glance, I had thought it was a guy who'd been sitting behind the desk and that would explain why Elena was using male honorifics, but she was a woman... dressed in a white shirt... her suit had been on the hanger, and I'd imagined how she'd look in them for a brief moment.Her hair was also strange- and not in a bad way. It was a nice shade of silver that drew one's gaze to it without trying.Gabrielle Genovese was beautiful in a rough way. she was also intriguing. She had i
BLAKE MORENO POV.FIVE MONTHS LATER.I wanted to quit! I badly needed everything to be over already because I didn't think that I'd be able to tolerate a day more of her suffering attitude. Gabrielle was making me into a slave and it was fucking infuriating. I could bet on my life that she didn't know the difference between a personal assistant and a personal maid because she had me doing nearly everything for her... Getting her coffee, and her meals, holding her coat, following her everywhere like a lost puppy, shopping for her clothes, acting as her bodyguard while still doing my darn best to draft up files, accompany her to board meetings, and help point out holes in some of the business deals that her associates proposed, not that she couldn't see them herself. Gabrielle had me going on her behalf to meetings or on ridiculous errands that made absolutely no sense.She also made me study a lot of business books because she felt I wasn't good enough at my job. And when I mastered t
GABRIELLE POV."Blake Moreno" I mused to myself. It was an interesting name, for an intriguing man. Angelo was also a nice character, a devil pretending to be an angel was always something I found thrilling. Both names suited him. I watched him from my desk as he concentrated on doing what I had ordered him to do as soon as he got in for the day's work. He had thrown a childish tantrum once I asked, telling me he already typed all the proposals and that they were ready. They were but I had him do it all over again, just to make him suffer. I wanted to hurt him. Drive a screw through his head just for the fun of it. I don't. Not yet. He looked very alluring when he worked with all his attention focused on completing a task. I couldn't help but watch him which in turn irritated the hell out of me. These days it was like I couldn't survive without seeing his face. It nagged at me. It made me furious, and because thoughts of him took up too much space in my head, I was always having a
GABRIELLE POV.Breathe deeply... think about death and gore. Imagine yourself as the conqueror. You've won this war already.Grunts registered from a faraway place, my opponent's heavy breathing sounding faint in my ears. It was drowned out by the thumping of his pulse, I imagined the beatings of his heart. Was it steady? With the way he was breathing so loud, I doubt it was. He was afraid, and that would be his undoing.Grandfather's hand tapped against his metal chair, the ring he wore making a clang as it connected. I broke out of my trance, blinking to adjust my gaze, at the same time pushing all the thoughts that plagued my day out of my head.My opponent studied me, his beady eyes raking over my form before a taunting snare touched his lips. I looked around the fighting arena. Everything was just as I remembered. I hated this place.Focusing back on my opponent, I readied myself, while my eyes scanned his physique carefully. He was a bulk of a man but still managed to look grac
BLAKE MORENO POV.I sighed as I got ready for work. April lazed on my sofa, taking in my average apartment- she was my partner- acting like my friend- who had dropped in for a visit without calling to ask if I was okay with it or if it was safe for her too. I was paranoid, sue me."Stop looking so bloody apprehensive, in case you haven't noticed, your boss is not here"."I know she's not, but it's not safe for you to come here. she's a bit possessive over me" I said and retracted wistfully... A little, how about I say a lot... After that little wall incident which for the record I may have or have not masturbated to countless times, she had gone back to her normal routine of watching me until I felt like squirming in my seat. It was so fucking absurd, I wanted to yell. I wasn't an object for her to gawk at even if it was thrilling at times, then she took it to a whole other level by treating me like I wasn't a man, but a thing she owned. It was still a turn-on, but that was not the p