Adriana’s POVSix years ago…I left the house as soon as the sun crept over the horizon with the weight of last night’s revelation pressing heavily on my chest. I barely slept, tossing and turning as my hands unconsciously drifted to my stomach as if trying to feel for something or some kind of proof that my world had truly changed. Marco had already been up when I slipped out of bed, working on his laptop in the dim light of our shared bedroom. His brow furrowed in deep concentration, jaw locked and fingers moving quickly over the keyboard. He had barely looked up when I murmured that I had errands to run, only nodding absently. He was too preoccupied with proving himself to his father. I knew how much pressure he was under. His father was a cold and ruthless businessman and never saw him as capable enough to take over the company. The only reason Marco was even in consideration was because of me. Because I had convinced his father that he was competent enough to be the next CEO.
Rafael’s POVThe heavy thud of my footsteps echoed down the grand hallway as I made my way to my home office. The entire mansion was silent but the air was so fucking thick. It was thick with the kind of tension that came when something big was about to go down. And something was about to go down. I could feel it in my bones. It isn’t just one thing. One has to do with having my highschool sweetheart under my fucking roof after years of watching her from afar and the other has to do with the shipment we are about to conduct. Nathan and two of my senior guards were already waiting for me when I pushed open the doors. They stood stiffly in front of my mahogany desk, their expressions unreadable and their backs straight as steel rods. They were disciplined and trained to be alert at all times. It’s been rumored that I’ve got the best trained men and there is not an ounce of doubt in that. These are men I gathered from the streets. Men that were doubted by their own loved ones and they
Adriana’s POV It was a pounding headache that welcomed me back to consciousness. the dull throb settling deep behind my temples as I groaned and forced my eyes open. Sunlight filtered through the open curtains, its rays slicing through the room. It should have been warm and comforting. Instead, it felt intrusive while stabbing into my skull like tiny needles. I blinked rapidly, my vision adjusting and that was when I saw her. Why would someone be standing there looking at a sleeping person? Who the hell is this woman and where the hell did she come from? Why is she staring like she wants to stab my eyes out? The woman hovered over me, arms folded tightly over her chest and her sharp gaze practically dissecting me. She was older, maybe early fifties, with graying hair pulled back into a severe bun that fits her face really. Her face was lined with age, her mouth pressed into a thin, unimpressed line and the plumpness of her body didn’t soften the steell in her posture. She loo
Adriana’s POVEverything inside me froze when his words settled. My breath stalled and my stomach clenched at oncs. "She’s here?" I screamed out the question as My eyes widened. My voice was raw and so fucking desperate but I didn’t care. The guard gave a single nod and I shot to my feet so fast I nearly stumbled. "She’s here?" I repeated, practically begging. "Yes. But you need to be dressed to see her." he said simply and his eyes didn’t even drift down my body. I didn’t need to hear anything else because I bolted from the floor. Rushing past him, I ran straight to the bathroom, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. The second I saw myself in the mirror though, I flinched. Mascara streaked down my cheeks in jagged lines and my green eyes red and puffy and my lips cracked from crying. My red hair was tangled, wild and that dress. God the dress clung to me like a second skin. Heat crawled up my face as the memory of everyone seeing me like this came crashing back. No wonder t
Adriana’s POV“Mommy, the scary man said he’s my daddy.” Isabella said after I felt the trembling and I asked what happened to her. The words struck me like a hammer to the chest, knocking the air from my lungs as my hands froze on Isabella’s tiny shoulders. For a moment, my entire body went rigid and my mind unable to process the weight of what she had just said. My heart pounded so hard I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, a deafening roar that drowned out everything else in the room. The sheer terror creeping up my spine sent a violebt tremor through me, making it difficult to even breathe let alone speak. I struggled to form words, my throat dry and tight but when I finally forced my voice out, it came hoarse and unsteady and barely above a whisper. “What… what did he say to you baby?” I asked my eyes widening then coming back to normal so I don’t scare her further. Isabella hesitated for a moment, shifting on her feet as if unsure whether she should repeat it and that h
Adriana’s POVI slapped his hand away so fast that my palm stung from the force and my breath shuddering as I stepped back, shielding Isabella with my body like an instinctive barrier between her and the monster in front of me. The smirk on Rafael’s lips didn’t waver. If anything, it deepened his amusement growing as if he had expected that exact reaction from me. “Don’t touch her!” I hissed through gritted teeth, my entire body trembling with fury and terror. He is playing fucking kind games and I don’t want my daughter involved. Rafael exhaled a small breath as if barely restraining himself, as if my defiance only entertained him further. His dark eyes flicked to Isabella who was gripping onto me so tightly her little fingers were white then back to me. I hate that I brought us to this situation but i'd be damned if I don’t get us out of it. "You think I would hurt her Luce Mia?" His voice was almost gentle and almost mocking and that made my stomach churn even harder. This Rafa
Adriana’s POVThe mansion was eerily silent as the night stretched on leaving only the dim glow from the moon filtering through the high windows. I had spent the last hour lying still with my heart pounding in my chest while waiting nd listening for the telltale sounds of the house settling into slumber. Because It was time. I slid off the bed with carefully wiith my bare feet pressing soundlessly against the cold floor. Isabella was curled beside me her tiny fingers gripping the blanket while her lashes cast soft shadows on her cheeks. My sweet, innocent girl oblivious to the danger surrounding us and to the monster lurking beneath this roof. I hated this place. I hated him for making me go through this with my daughter. He doesn’t even deserve to know she is actuallly his real daughter and it was purely coincidental that Marco has gray eyes and black hair. If he knew the truth, he’d know Marco’s eyes were more blue than gray but he doesn’t and his natural hair is brown but he dy
Adriana’s POVBut she didn’t fall because she was caught. I know who it was from the scent of the masculine leather and pure dangerous manly essence rolling off of him in waves. Rafael stood there his grip ironclad around my wrist and his other arm cradling Isabella with effortless ease. My vision swam as I twisted around, my breath coming in sharo and panicked bursts. He was furious. Or maybe that is an understatement to put lightly. It was nof the cold and taunting amusement I had come to expect. Not the usual arrogance or smug superiority that he has made it far ahead of what I had given him credit for. No, this was different. His face was a mixture of pure and unrestrained rage as his dark eyes burned with something lethal that could burn the earth. His jaw was clenched so tightly it looked like it could crack while the tendons in his neck were taut with barely restrained violence. Isabella squirmed in his arms, clearly uneasy and for a second just a second, his fury falter
Rafael’s POVI’d been walking around the estate with Nathan and Anthony since early morning just making sure everything was exactly the way it should be. I didn’t leave things to chance. Not when the ball was only hours away and not when we had certain names on our guest list. The staff were working fast as the grand chandelier had already been cleaned twice and the crystal was gleaming like it was made of stars. White lilies and deep red roses lined the hallways. Tables were being arranged under the guidance of a tight faced event planner who reminded me of a military commander more than anything else. Everything was moving and everyone was exactly where they should be. There is going to be an after party here after I have been announced the new capo dei capi in Romano’s mansion. Nathan had a clipboard in his hand (of course he did) and he was flipping through checklists like the paper offended him. He was muttering about caterers being late last year and how if that happened agai
Adriana’s POVThe heavy clock on the wall chimed then once, twice, three times and the realization hit me. The ball was tonight.In just a few short hours, I would be expected to transform from whatever battered version of myself still remained into something dazzling enough to pass inspection under a hundred cold curious eyes. I was expected to glide into that ballroom as if I belonged there, as if my heart wasn’t still in pieces beneath my ribs and as if I hadn’t once loved a man who had chosen ambition and betrayal over me.My fingers curled slightly at my sides, nails digging into the soft flesh of my palms. The old fear, the old shame, tried to rise in me but I pushed it down with a force that surprised even myself. Tonight, I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me bleed.Without another word, I turned on my heel and left the room with the hem of my robe following against the floor, my head held high even as my stomach twisted itself into tighter and tighter knots.T
Adriana’s POVThe house seemed to shift the moment Madame Corvina arrived. I felt it before I heard the first sharp clicks of her heels on the marble. Even the light filtering through the tall windows seemed harsher somehow slicing into the room like a blade, picking out every flaw and every imperfection. I didn’t give a damn thiugh. Anna was already there as usual witj her arms folded neatly across her chest and a slight smile playing at the corner of her mouth like she was anticipating a show. She didn’t look at me but shedidn’t need to. Her satisfaction filled the room like a perfume. The doors opened wide with a low groan and there she was. Madame Corvina entered into the room like a storm iwth her black dress flowing behind her. She was taller than I expected with sharp cheekbones that could have been carved from stone and eyes so dark they seemed to devour the light around them. Her hair was pinned back in an intricate coil, not a single strand out of place and around her nec
Adriana’s POVAfter Anna's interruption there was no peace left. The sense of waiting wrapped itself around me tighter each minute stretching longer than the last and i couldn’t sit still. I couldn't bear the thought of waiting in silence, trapped inside my own restless skin. I slipped out of Isabella’s room and wandered aimlessly letting my feet carry me down the familiar hallways until the rich amd warm scent of coffee lured me toward the kitchen like a thread pulling me forward.The kitchen wasn’t empty, of course and i guess Nothing in this house ever was. Anthony stood by the window staring out into the gardens with an expression I couldn’t quite read. The morning light cut across his profile throwing half his face into shadow and the line of his jaw sharp amd the tension in his shoulders obvious even from across the room. He turned when he heard my footsteps, his mouth tugging into that crooked easy smile he wore like armor."Trouble sleeping, princess?" He teased lightly bu
Adriana’s POVThe bed felt too big without him as I stirred in the tangled sheets that has his scent lingering still clinging to the air. For a while i just lay there staring up at the molding on the ceiling feeling the weight of reality settle over my bare skin. The light had shifted since I’d first opened my eyes growing brighter and demanding slipping through the curtains. A sigh left me as I pushed myself up on one elbow. The sheet fell away from my chest and a shiver ran through me despite the warmth of the morning. The marks he left on my skin with his hands and his mouth and his teeth felt like they were still there. Like a proof of how easily we slipped back into each other’s orbitsno matter how wrong we both knew is was.Dragging the sheet around me, I climbed out of bed my bare feet brushing the cold floor. I padded softly across the room the hem of the mattress trailing behind me and pulled aside the curtain just enough to peer down into the courtyard. The glass was cool
Rafael’s POVThe way she said it wasn't accusation and it wasn’t even sadness. Just that quiet, gutting kind of acceptance she’d perfected over the years. I didn’t answer right away. Just turned away and pulled on a pair of black slacks the fabric stiff against my skin like it doesn’t want to go too. Buttoned up a crisp white shirt with the collar biting into my neck.“Big day. You should sleep in.” I said in a low voice because I’d rather be with her in bed than go out. She propped herself up on one elbow with the sheet falling just enough to reveal the slope of one breast and the shadows of the bruises I’d left. Not from cruelty but sheer need. From knowing this might be the last time because what she would see later might change everything.“You’ll be back before the ceremony?” She asked her voice quieter now. Something unspoken tangled between the words.“Of course.” I turned to her buttoning the last of my cuffs and eyes met.She smiled then and it was small and tired maybe a li
Rafael’s POVThe light was soft slipping through the sheer curtains like a whisper that didn’t dare disturb what had happened here. The air was heavy with heat and thick with the scent of sex and mine. Adriana. It clung to the walls soaked into the sheets and into my skin.Her hair was spread across the pillow like fire and red waves tangled from hours of reckless brutal need. The kind that left bruises in places only lovers knew. The kind that stripped you down to bone and nerve and memory. I was sitting at the edge of the bed, shirtless, spine hunched and sweat drying on my skin in sticky trails. My cock still throbbed from how deep I’d been inside herm and how hard I had pounded into her like she was the only thing keeping me sane. Like I wanted to punish her and claim her all in the same goddamn breath. I looked over my shoulder unable not to. She was on her side with her face turned toward me and lips parted just slightly like she’d been about to say my name in her sleep and lo
Adriana’s POVThe night air licked across my skin. My nipples hardened as his gaze dropped like a curse had been cast. And then I moved. One hand on his chest and the other on the back of his neck. I started to roll my hips, slow and dirty the way I used to back when his mattress was on the floor and the world was nothing but broken promises and our sweaty skin under fluorescent lights. I knew exactly how to move and how to make his breathing shift and how to feel the stiff line of his cock grinding between us and press down just right. He let me take control and let me perform like I used to, back when love was reckless and money was just a dream. His grip landed on my hips alk hard and possessive, holding me in place as I moved. Not guiding me but just anchoring me. And he gripped me so tight I knew there’d be bruises tomorrow and i wanted them. I wanted to look in the mirror and see him everhwrre.He didn’t say anything at first. Just stared like I’d risen out of a ghost story. L
Adriana’s POVEven the street was alive today. The kind of alive you don’t get in places lined with marble columns and guards standing still like statues. This was a different kind of wealth we has. Neon lights flickered above paper food carts and cheap folding tables. And in the middle of it all, Rafael parked the sleek black Aston Martin like it belonged here.But it didnt. But maybe that was the point. We walked side by side witj my bare thighs brushing against his sweatpants every few steps. I was barefoot in his hoodie with no bra and no underwear and he kept looking down at me like he didn’t regret a single second of dragging me out here like this. People looked at us because they always do. But no one said a word, not when he was the one towering beside me like a dark king among mortals. I feel so petite and small beside this big man here. “There, let’s go to that stall.” I pointed at the edge of the street. The guy manning it had a beard that looked like he fried it with th