Se connecterNikolai’s POV The look Alessandro had in his eyes the last time we met at the annual meeting still burned behind my lids every time I closed them. Those eyes had looked at me like they held no regard for me at all. Like I was a joke. A mild inconvenience. Something to be brushed aside with a dismissive wave of his hand. That look made me angrier than the fact that my carefully laid plan hadn’t pulled through. And that is why I’m going to prove to him that he never should have underestimated me.A soft knock sounded at the door, followed by the sharp click of heels against the polished floor. “Brother, Vittorio is here to see you. Shall I send him in?” Sofia asked, sauntering into the room. “Yes. Please do,” I answered quickly, glancing at her before my eyes darted back to the file in front of me. She turned to leave but hesitated for a second. “Can I ask you something?” “Even if I said no, you’re still going to ask anyway. So just get it over with,” I responded calmly, meeting
“What would I have done?” I repeated the question under my breath, letting the words sink in. “I also don’t know, Ale,” I said finally. “But what I do know is that the man who looked me in the eyes and told me we ain’t his family, that we never were, doesn’t deserve any kind of mercy from us. So if he wants war, then that’s what he’s gonna get.”Ale sighed, the sound low and tired, before walking back to the couch. “But he is family, and we don’t fight with family. That’s our motto.” He said, lifting his head to look at me.“Fuck that,” I shot back. “He doesn’t care about that, so why should we? Why should we be merciful when he made it crystal clear that he was gonna join forces with anyone necessary, as long as it gets rid of you? No, Ale. Now is the time to stop letting him get away with things every damn time. We both know how dangerous he is, and if we keep ignoring these signs, it’s gonna be disastrous when it erupts. And it’s only a matter of time before it does.”He didn’t res
“Oh don’t be silly Bianca, I don’t hate him. Nor do I hate you. Although I still stand by the fact that I should have been the leader instead of him. I mean I was next in line after your father, everyone knew that. But no, he made the decision that your brother should take over instead, deeming me incapable of ruling. Do you have any idea how long I struggled to accept that? No one should give a child that much power at such a young age. It’ll end up burning them instead.” His voice was calm, but there was bitterness underneath it. I could see it in the tight line of his mouth, in the way his fingers drummed against the arm of the chair. He had never forgiven my father for choosing Alessandro. Something inside me snapped. “That wasn’t his fault and you know it,” I shot back, as my voice cracked. “Do you think it was also an easy thing for someone so young to accept? Do you know how hard he struggled to fit in? To do what was expected of him? Do you know how many things he had to giv
Bianca’s POVEver since I told Alessandro the truth, he has been avoiding me. Or should I say, he made it clear that he doesn’t want to see me. I mean, I understand the reason for him acting that way, but I am his sister. The only family he has, literally—that’s if you’re not counting our uncle Vittorio. And for him to just ditch me like that, just because of Nick… it doesn’t make sense. So I gave him the space he wanted. I stayed away. But today… Today I was going over to see him, and I wasn’t leaving until we squashed whatever beef we had.I had just finished with my last clients for the day and was headed to my car when my phone rang. It was Vittorio. I sighed, contemplating if I should just ignore it, but seeing as it kept ringing over and over again, I decided to just pick it up and see what he wanted.“Vittorio, what a surprise!” I answered coldly, placing it on speaker as I fastened my seatbelt.“Hello, Bianca. I honestly thought you wouldn’t pick up.”I scoffed as I started th
“Oh no you didn’t. Nick, how could you—”“Relax!” I said slowly, laughing. “It’s not what you think. I only went over because I desperately needed to get answers to something bothering me.”“Hmmmm….okay. Let’s say I believe you. What was the thing that was bothering you so much, that you desperately had to go over to his place?”I sighed, applying powder on my face. “Honestly Jamie, this might sound crazy and absurd, but something happened to me a few months back, and I just found out that it was a sister who was behind it. A part of me didn’t want to believe it, so that’s why I went over to Alessandro’s place to find out for myself. And it was true.”Jamie’s reflection in the mirror froze, as he set the eyeliner pencil down gently. “Okay slow down…you’re not making any sense right now. What happened to you and how was his sister involved in it?”Thinking about it now I realized that I never told Jamie about the shoot out, maybe because I was out of it for a while after I recovered. O
“No! Stop! Right this minute!”Those were the words I screamed inside my head, but none of them made it past my lips. My mouth couldn’t move. It stayed slightly parted, gawking at him hungrily, traitorously open while every rational thought in my brain begged for distance. Seeing my hesitation, he stared at me for a long moment, dark eyes searching, waiting. Then he smashed his lips into mine again. This time it was more possessive, more controlled, more feral. His hand slipped under my shirt without warning, fingers finding my nipples and pinching them slightly. My body stiffened under him. My cock was already hard and throbbing with every second that passed. His other hand supported the back of my neck, pulling me closer, never giving me space to catch my breath before knocking the air out of me all over again. His hand was just about to slip under my trousers when a sharp knock came through the door. We both froze, exchanging puzzled looks. “Who is it?” he demanded, voice hoa







