Azzurra The room smelled of cigars and whiskey, the air thick with tension and the weight of too many secrets. A velvet-topped card table stood between them, the final hands played with measured precision. Marcello leaned back in his chair, a smirk curving his lips as he dragged a cigar between his fingers, tapping the ash into the tray without a care in the world. “Last round,” Adriano said, voice low and cold, like he already knew how this was going to end. Marcello chuckled, the sound grating and full of cocky bravado. “Afraid to lose, capo?” His dark eyes flicked toward Adriano, sharp with amusement, almost daring him to react. Adriano didn’t take the bait. He just exhaled slowly, fingers drumming once on the table before settling back into that unreadable stillness of his. His control had always been a dangerous thing, a weapon as sharp as the gun tucked beneath his suit. Marcello’s fingers curled around his cards, lifting them just enough to see. I caught the flicker of
Adriano I should have been furious. I should have shut her up the second she started screaming at me, the second she threw my own fucking actions back in my face. But instead, I just stood there, letting Azzurra’s rage crash over me. Because for the first time in my life, I felt something I had never expected to feel. Guilt. I had put her on that damn table, made her a fucking bet, as if she was nothing more than a pile of chips. And even though I knew I was going to win, even though there had never been a chance in hell that Marcello would walk away with her, I had still done it. I had made her feel like she was nothing and that was a mistake. Azzurra wasn’t nothing. She was fire. She was fury. She was the only person who had ever looked me in the eye and called me out on my shit. I let out a sharp breath, dragging a hand through my hair. I needed to put this out of my mind. Guilt was a fucking useless emotion. In my world, it had no place. Just as I turned toward
Azzurra I swore to myself that I would never, ever cross paths with any of the Giordanos. They all hated me. The house was big enough to avoid them for about a month. But like all the other wishes I had ever had, this one never came true. Because that morning, I found myself in the worst possible situation. I was supposed to clean the Beta’s room, just like I did every morning. It was supposed to be an easy task, change the sheets, dust the furniture, mop the floor, and leave. No drama. No trouble. But of course, trouble found me anyway. As I walked into the Beta’s room, bucket and mop in hand, I froze. Andrea was there. Not just standing in the middle of the room but crouched near the bathroom door, her body pressed close to the wooden frame as she peeked inside. At first, I had no idea what she was doing. But then I heard the sound of running water, followed by the unmistakable hum of a man’s voice. Realization hit me like a slap to the face. Andrea was spying
Azzurra The next morning, I woke up with Luna Vienna’s words still ringing in my head. "Be careful. In a world ruled by men, a woman must be twice as ruthless to survive." I didn’t know if she meant it as a warning, a lesson, or both. But one thing was clear, Luna Vienna wasn’t a woman to underestimate. And neither was Andrea. As I made my way through the servants' quarters, I caught sight of her down the hall, speaking in hushed tones with a few of the other high-ranking women. Her expression was poised, her laughter soft and deceptive. But when her gaze flicked to me, the amusement disappeared. For a moment, we just stared at each other. A silent challenge. I didn’t look away first. With a small smirk, Andrea turned back to her conversation, but I knew she hadn’t forgotten about yesterday. Neither had I. I kept my head down and continued walking, gripping my cleaning supplies a little tighter. I had just finished my morning tasks when a maid rushed in, breathle
Azzurra A chance? I clenched my jaw, hating that I even considered it. But what choice did I have? I exhaled sharply, forcing my shoulders to stay steady. “Fine. I’ll do it.” Adriano smirked like he had expected my answer all along. Like he knew I was predictable. It pissed me off. “Good girl.” I scowled, crossing my arms over my chest. “Fuck off.” His chuckle was low, full of amusement, like he found my irritation entertaining. “Such a mouth on you.” “Yeah? Well, you bring it out of me,” I shot back, not bothering to soften the edge in my voice. He tilted his head, studying me. “Is that so?” I lifted my chin. “You’re insufferable.” “And yet, here you are.” He stepped past me, reaching for the door. “Come with me.” I hesitated for a second, my instincts screaming at me to be careful. But in the end, I followed. The hallways were dimly lit, lined with aged wooden panels that made the space feel even more suffocating. Adriano walked ahead, his posture easy, confident. Contr
Azzurra I was grateful—grateful to God, to fate, to whatever force had given me the strength to push him away before I lost myself. Before I surrendered to the temptation of his lips, his touch, his presence that made it impossible to think straight. My heart pounded, my breath uneven as I pushed him away with all the strength I could muster. Adriano barely moved, his body solid like a damn wall, but he let me go, his dark eyes watching me with something between amusement and frustration. I took a shaky breath, gripping the edge of the nearby table to steady myself. My pulse was still racing, but not entirely from fear. That was the problem. I clenched my fists and glared at him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. Adriano tilted his head slightly, looking at me like the answer was obvious. “What does it look like?” I swallowed hard, my skin still tingling from where his hands had been. He made it sound so
Azzurra Adriano didn’t say a word as the car pulled into the driveway of his estate. His grip on my waist remained firm, his dark eyes locked on mine as if daring me to break the silence. I didn’t. I didn’t trust my voice, didn’t trust myself not to say something I’d regret—something that would only push him further. The driver stepped out first, but Adriano didn’t let me move. Instead, his fingers traced the curve of my jaw, his touch light but possessive. “You’re coming with me.” Not a question. A command. I exhaled sharply. “Like I have a choice?” His lips curled at the edges, amused by my defiance. “You always have a choice, Azzurra. You just never make the right one.” Before I could respond, he opened the door and stepped out, pulling me with him. His grip on my wrist never loosened as he led me inside. The house was quiet, the dim lighting casting shadows against the sleek marble floors. It felt too intimate, too dangerous, like I was walking into something I
ADRIANO I ran a hand down my face, exhaling sharply as I watched Azzurra bolt out of my room like the damn house was on fire. My mother, meanwhile, stood in the doorway with the same infuriatingly calm expression she always wore; cool, composed, and completely fucking unreadable. I clenched my jaw. "Did you have to do that?" Luna Vienna lifted an elegant brow. "Do what?" I let out a humorless laugh. "Really? You barge into my room, unannounced, scare the shit out of Azzurra, and now you're playing dumb?" She stepped inside like she owned the place, which, technically, she did. She smoothed a hand over the sleeve of her dress, gaze flicking over my still-unbuttoned shirt with a look of mild disapproval. "You should be thanking me." "For what?" I snapped. "For stopping you from making a mistake," she said simply. "That girl isn’t worth the trouble, Adriano." My fists clenched. "You don’t get to decide that." Her lips twitched slightly, like she was amused by my defian
AZZURRA I wasn’t supposed to feel this much.Not for him.Not after everything.Not after the names he called me. The way he pushed, pulled, and played me like I was just another piece on his fucked-up chessboard.But nearly bleeding out in some godforsaken alley, thinking I might die without seeing his face again? Yeah. That’ll screw with your head.And apparently… his too.The hospital discharged me with enough painkillers to knock out a horse and the kind of sympathy you usually reserved for puppies hit by cars. My body still ached like hell, but I was alive. Barely.Adriano didn’t say a word on the drive back. Just his hand clenched on the steering wheel, jaw tight, knuckles white. The silence between us was loud, buzzing like electricity.He helped me out of the car when we got to the villa, his fingers surprisingly gentle as he steadied me. One arm around my waist, the other grabbing my overnight bag like it didn’t weigh a damn thing.“You don’t have to carry me,” I muttered, h
AZZURRA The first thing I noticed was the smell. That sharp, clean hospital scent mixed with something soft and warm like aftershave and musk. My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, everything was a blur.Then I saw him.Adriano.He was sitting on the chair next to my bed, slouched and asleep, his arms crossed but not looking very threatening. His head had tilted slightly, and a lock of his dark hair fell onto his forehead. He looked… peaceful. Almost innocent.That couldn’t be right.I blinked again just to be sure. Yep. Still him. Still, that same man who had once looked at me like I was a bug he needed to flick off his shirt.Now, here he was, looking like he hadn’t moved in a while. His jaw had a bit of stubble, and there were dark circles under his eyes.What the hell happened?I reached up slowly, my arm heavy and weak, and tried to touch that strand of hair that had fallen over his face.I didn’t know why I did it.Maybe it was because he looked less terrifying when he was
ADRIANO I stood beside her hospital bed, arms crossed, watching her chest rise and fall slowly. The nurses said she was stable now, but the oxygen tube strapped to her face made my jaw clench every time I looked at it. She looked too pale, too still. And the bruises across her skin—it made something primal growl in my chest.The doctor had told me she’d pull through. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to know she was safe, truly safe. That no bastard could ever touch her again.When the second nurse confirmed she’d be okay through the night, I finally stood and left. My men were outside the hospital room, standing like statues. I turned to Marco, my second-in-command, tonight.“No one gets near that door unless they want to die. Got it?”He nodded. “Yes, boss.”I gave Azzurra one last glance through the glass, then turned and walked down the hallway. My blood was boiling beneath my skin, and there was only one thing that could settle it.Those fuckers who laid a hand on her… They were m
ADRIANO As I cradled Azzurra in my arms, her blood staining my shirt, I moved fast, every step fueled by the rage clawing at my insides. She whimpered, clutching my shirt weakly, but I hushed her, whispering, “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”I reached the car, opened the passenger door, and gently set her inside, strapping the seatbelt across her trembling body. She tried to speak, but her lips were pale and cracked. I touched her cheek softly. “Don’t speak, please. Just stay awake, cara mia. Just stay with me.”I was about to shut the door when the sound of footsteps and laughter behind me made my spine stiffen.Three men stumbled out from the alley she’d come from, one of them wiping blood off his knuckles, another lighting a cigarette like he had no idea his life was about to end.“Yo,” the one with the cigarette called out, cocky grin on his face. “Drop the girl.”I shut the door slowly, turned, and looked at them.“Excuse me?” I said, my voice calm, deathly quiet.“The girl,”
ADRIANO “She asked for a day off?” Leonardo’s voice broke the quiet in my office, dry with disbelief as he leaned against the edge of my desk like he owned the place.I didn’t look up from the screen on my tablet.A red dot blinked back at me,Azzurra’s tracker. She was still at her childhood home, same coordinates for the last hour. Laughing, maybe, or catching up with her sisters while pretending she wasn’t mine.“Yeah,” I said flatly.Leonardo raised a brow. “And you said yes?”“I’m not a fucking tyrant,” I muttered.“Bullshit,” he shot back. “Since when do you heed requests? Especially from people who’ve disrespected you, or let’s say, scratched more than just an itch.”My jaw flexed. I didn’t rise to the bait.“I just thought she deserved a few hours,” I said instead, keeping my tone neutral. “She hasn’t asked for anything since she got here. I figured…” I trailed off.“You figured?” Leonardo asked, his voice sharp with amusement. “You figured she earned it?”“She’s with her fami
AZZURRA For days after that humiliating scene in the Luna’s office, I cursed myself.How could I have been so naive?I thought Adriano and I had shared something real beyond the lust, beyond the twisted circumstances that brought us together.I let myself believe the soft touches meant something. The way he looked at me like I mattered. The way he came for me when I needed him most. The way he held me.But in one moment, he stripped it all away with carefully chosen words that burned more than any wound Massimo ever left behind."She means nothing to me.""She’s just a body… useful for scratching an itch."I replayed those words in my head every single night, torturing myself. And every night, I vowed to stop caring. To pull myself together. To not let it get to me. But it always did. I was so angry. At him. At myself. At everything. I was such a fool.Then, one morning, I stood in front of his office door, hand clenched at my side, my heart pounding like a caged bird.I waited unt
ADRIANO After Azzurra stepped out of the car, I leaned back against the seat, letting out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.She probably regretted everything already. Hell, maybe I should too, but I didn’t.I felt…satisfied.Not just because I’d had her again. No. There was something twistedly comforting about knowing I was the only one who got to touch her like that.If—no, when she got pregnant, there’d be no going back. She’d belong to me. Permanently.But first… there was a more pressing issue to deal with.My mother.The Luna.She hated women like Azzurra.Poor background, too loud, too stubborn, and worst of all, irresistible and it wasn’t surprising.A woman like Azzurra had nearly destroyed my mother’s marriage once upon a time. Of course she saw the pattern, and as always, she acted fast.I walked straight to her office, jaw tight with irritation. The guards nodded and stepped aside as I pushed open the heavy wooden doors without knocking.She sat by the window, sippi
AZZURRA My smile fell, and my breathing shallowed.I met his eyes to see he was owning what he’d said completely, and something about the admission was so incredibly hot, it brought a rush of honesty from me.“Ditto,” I whispered.A groan resounded in his chest, and then he kissed me. Slipped his tongue into my mouth. Pulled my bottom lip between his teeth. Kissing Adriano Giordano made me feel more alive than any drug ever could.I tried to undo the buttons on his shirt, but he grabbed my wrists and stopped me. Something cold settled in my stomach.I worked myself free from his grip, and as if he hadn’t already denied me once, I tried again, only to get the same result.“It’s staying on,” he said harshly against my lips.He wouldn’t let me touch him, not really. And sitting here with my body on shameless display, it suddenly felt . . . humiliating. I pulled away, tugged my dress down, and reached for the door handle.“Fuck no,” he growled, grabbing my wrist. “You got me this hard,
AZZURRA An explosion of fire burst inside me, spreading from my stomach to the tips of my fingers. My blood sizzled. My body tingled. I couldn’t breathe. The press of his lips against mine hit me with such intensity my first response was to push him away. I brought my palms up to his chest to shove him as hard as I could, but when he nipped at my bottom lip and then licked it, soothing the sharp sting with his tongue, want filled my veins with boiling water. A moan traveled up my throat. My fingers curled, and I scraped my nails down his stomach, stopping at his belt buckle. He hissed against my lips and then slid his tongue inside my mouth. I felt that wet glide between my legs. Just the knowledge that his hands were on me sent a tremble through me, but the feel of them, the palm sliding over my hip to the curve of my ass; the gentle yet unyielding grasp on my throat incinerated any of the resistance left in me. I swayed toward him, my body melting against his. His lips le