The Don's Secret Heir

Valentina POVI woke up cold.That was the first thing. The cold, and then the ceiling—wrong color, wrong height—and then the smell of a room that wasn't mine. My body understood before my mind did. I was already sitting up, pulling the bedsheet tight to my chest, and counting everything that was wrong.My dress was on the floor. My shoes were right beside it. I was in my slip and nothing else, and there was a man asleep beside me. He was turned away, breathing slowly and evenly, as if none of this was unusual.I knew his face. It was Enzo, the family driver. I had spoken to him maybe four times, always by accident, always briefly.I got out of the bed without making a sound. I put my clothes back on with my back turned to him, keeping my hands steady. I told myself to think. I told myself to breathe. There had to be an explanation. There had to be one because I remembered dinner, I remembered the drink going wrong, and I remembered absolutely nothing after that. That was the answer—s

Marco POV "You did the right thing," Carmela said, setting the cup on my desk. "That girl was trouble the moment she walked in."I didn't answer. I couldn't. My mind was stuck in a loop, replaying the last few hours.I hadn't slept a wink last night. I had spent hours pacing the dark hallways of this house, searching for her. When she hadn't come up to our room after the dinner, I thought she was just clearing her head in the garden. Then the clock struck 2:00 AM. Then 3:00 AM. I checked the library, the terrace, the guest rooms, growing more anxious with every passing hour, wondering where she could possibly be hiding.I never in a million years would have looked in the staff quarters. I never would have believed she was down there.Then, just before dawn, Luca had burst into my study, pale and out of breath. “Marco, I found her. You need to come right now.”The memory of rushing down that corridor tore through me. Luca had kicked the door open, and the sight inside burned itself in

Valentina POVMilan smelled like money.I smelled it the moment I stepped off the bus, Matteo strapped tightly to my chest and a single bag slung over my shoulder. The city glittered all around me, designer boutique shops, expensive luxury cars, and women wearing clothes that cost more than I had ever earned in a whole month. I stood on the pavement outside the station, allowing myself to stare at it all for exactly thirty seconds.Then, I started walking.I found a cheap apartment in a building that should have been torn down. It was just one room with a kitchen sink that leaked and a window that wouldn't close all the way. The landlord was a short man with a large stomach who came to the door in his undershirt. He looked at me, at Matteo on my chest, at my single bag, and at the 4,000 euros I had hidden inside the lining of my coat."How long do you want it for?" he asked."As long as you'll have me," I replied.He charged me double the normal price. I paid it without arguing. I had