Se connecter“Wait.” His voice was soft as he stepped closer. “Who are you?” I turned back to him, my smile never wavering while I tried to slow my heart rate racing. “Oh, it's Emilia Cattaneo from Verona.” I lied. He stared at me, his gaze unwavering. “Funny because last week… you said your name was Juliette” My blood froze. He remembered? No way. My mouth opened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must have mistaken me for someone else.” His smile vanished and I could make out the tick in his jaw. “Don’t lie to me in my house.” ****** He was never meant to fall for her. She was never meant to betray him. Isabella De Luca enters the world of the Romano mafia empire with one mission: destroy it from the inside. Armed with secrets and trained for deception, she becomes the perfect candidate for the mafia king’s bride — beautiful, bold, and completely fake. But Matteo Romano is not just a cold-blooded heir. He’s cunning, ruthless, and dangerously magnetic. The deeper Isabella sinks into his world, the harder it becomes to tell where the mission ends and where desire begins. When betrayal collides with bloodlines and a buried truth resurfaces, everything unravels. A deadly empire. A forbidden pregnancy. A woman torn between revenge and love. And a king who must choose between power… and the one person who was never supposed to matter. In this world, loyalty is currency. And trust? The deadliest weapon of all.
Voir plusEpilogueThree weeks had passed since that night on the rooftop. Three weeks since Carla was arrested and my world turned upside down—or perhaps, right side up.I stood in front of the bedroom mirror, running my hand over my swollen belly. Eight months pregnant now. The baby had grown so much that simple tasks like tying my shoes had become impossible without help."You're getting huge." Gabi appeared in the doorway, grinning. "In a good way, obviously.""Obviously." I turned sideways, examining my profile. "I look like I've swallowed a watermelon.""A cute watermelon." She came in and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you nervous? About the birth?""Terrified." I sat beside her. "But also excited. Does that make sense?""Completely." Gabi leaned her head on my shoulder. "I'm glad I'm here for this. That you're letting me be here.""Where else would you be?" I squeezed her hand. "You're my sister. This is your home now."It had taken some convincing to get Gabi to move into the estate
Matteo POV We tumbled backwards, away from the edge. Carla's gun went off, the bullet whizzing harmlessly into the night sky.I held tight to Isabella, using my body to shield hers whilst Sophia and Dante moved in to disarm Carla. The gun clattered across the rooftop as they forced her to the ground."Leave her." Isabella's voice was muffled against my chest. "Let me finish this. Let me end her once and for all.""No." I held her tighter. "You don't have to be that person. You don't have to become the evil they once painted us to be.""But she deserves—""Yes. She deserves justice not revenge." I pulled back enough to look at her face. "You're better than this. Better than her."Isabella broke down completely then. Tears streamed down her face as she buried herself against my shoulder, her body shaking with sobs."I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. For lying to you. For putting you in danger. For—""Stop." I stroked her hair gently. "We'll deal with all of that later. Right now
Isabella's POV I tried to duck behind a table, but Valentina was too fast. The knife was already coming down, aimed at my chest.A gunshot echoed through the stairwell.Valentina jerked sideways, the knife clattering from her hand. She collapsed, clutching her leg where blood was already spreading across her dress.I spun around to find Gabi standing there, a gun in her trembling hands. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with shock."I shot her." The words came out barely above a whisper. "I actually shot her.""Gabi—" I started to move towards her."I didn't mean—I just saw her coming at you and I grabbed the gun from that guard downstairs and—" She was shaking so badly she could barely hold the weapon.Sophia appeared, gently taking the gun from Gabi's hands. "You did what you had to do. She'll live. You aimed for the leg.""But I shot someone." Gabi's voice cracked. "I've never—I can't—""We'll deal with this later." I grabbed her shoulders. "Right now I need you to stay here with S
Isabella's POV "This is too dangerous." I grabbed Gabi's arm. "You shouldn't be here. You should be somewhere safe—""There is nowhere safe anymore." Sophia interrupted, her tone grim. "Carla compromised the safe house. She knows about most of my locations. Keeping Gabi with us, where we can see her, is actually the safest option right now.""She's my sister. She's not trained for this—""Neither are you." Sophia's gaze was pointed. "But you're here anyway. Because Matteo matters to you. Well, you matter to Gabi. So she's coming."I looked at my sister, who nodded firmly. "I'm not leaving you. Not again."There was no time to argue. Sophia was already moving towards the compound, Dante's crew flanking her."The party is our cover." Sophia explained as we followed. "Carla's hosting some kind of exclusive event. Wealthy criminals, corrupt politicians. The kind of people who don't ask questions.""How do you know this?""Because I've been tracking her movements for weeks. Ever since Mat
Matteo's POV Time slowed to a crawl. I watched the blade moving towards Isabella, watched her frozen in shock, completely unable to defend herself.This was how it ended. Not with me dying alone in chains, but watching the woman I loved get killed because she'd come to save me.The gunshot was dea
Isabella's POV I'd been waiting for hours. Pacing back and forth at the junction Sophia had directed me to. It was a rundown area on the edge of the city, the kind of place where people minded their own business and didn't ask questions.Every car that passed made my heart jump. Every footstep ma
Isabella's POV My nose was still bleeding as I pressed myself against the wall around the corner, listening to Rico and Valentina's conversation in the distance."Are you alright?" Rico's voice drifted towards me, concern that sounded fake even from here."I'm fine. Just wish we could have finishe
Isabella's POV Isabella hit the floor hard, her hands flying up to catch herself. Blood immediately started streaming from her nose, dark drops spattering on the marble."That felt good." Valentina flexed her hand, smiling. "I've been wanting to do that for weeks. Weeks after discovering what you
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