Ruby was already seated at a round table when Giovanni and I arrived at Tasty Haven, and her face immediately lit up as soon as she saw me."Hey, best friend." She beamed as we approached her, causing a smile to spread on my lips.She leapt to her feet when we came to a stop in front of her and embraced me warmly.Pulling away from the hug, she darted her gaze at Giovanni and raised a brow. "And who is this?""I’m Giovanni. Her favourite cousin." Giovanni introduced himself as he extended his hand for a handshake.Taking his hand, she muttered in a sweet voice. "Hi, Giovanni. I’m Ruby. Her best friend."A few seconds passed, and they were still holding hands while staring intently at each other."Giovanni, don’t you think the ladies would need some privacy?" I quickly interjected, snapping them out of their trances, and they quickly withdrew their hands.What was that about? They couldn’t have possibly fallen for each other at first sight.I looked around the restaurant, and when I sp

Gazing at Sofia in her stunning wedding dress, the guilt on my chest from yesterday weighed even more heavily.I was supposed to have put an end to the inappropriateness that has been going on between Antonio and me a long time ago, but I didn’t, and I hated myself for that.When he called me a hypocrite, I wanted to be mad at him for calling me that, but I didn’t even have the right to be, because he was damn right. I was a hypocrite. Even worse, I was disgusting. When I caught him cheating, I didn’t even think of my sister. I only thought of myself, how insanely jealous I was, and how desperately I wished I was the one doing that to him. I disgust myself!I was never supposed to fall for him; I was never supposed to crave his touch; his mere captivating eyes weren’t supposed to do the things they do to me, setting my body on fire. And I definitely wasn't supposed to feed my attraction to him."A wedding day is supposed to be the best day of a woman’s life. But it is the opposite for

ROSALINDA.Sofia hasn’t said anything to me about what she saw yesterday, although she had been distant, and I didn’t want to be the one to initiate the conversation. I already felt guilty about being attracted to Antonio, and talking about my attraction for him with my sister—his soon-to-be wife—would be incredibly embarrassing. Even though the wedding turned out to be disastrous, both parties hadn’t lost interest due to the financial gains tied to the alliance. Business priorities overweighed their anger over the event’s outcome.Glancing at my wristwatch, I realised that it was almost time for Papà’s meeting with Antonio and Lorenzo. I was outside, jogging around the mansion, and I needed to get inside before they arrived. An encounter with either Antonio or Lorenzo was the last thing I wanted.Blowing out a sharp breath, I started jogging towards the entrance, but luck wasn’t on my side as a car pulled into the driveway just as I approached the entrance. I tried to ignore it and

ANTONIO.Mommy?I quickly flicked my gaze between Rosalinda and the small boy as confusion masked my features. Why did he call her that?“She my mommy, right?” The little boy continued as the woman who was carrying him slowly put him down. “You said come meet my mommy.”He was one smart boy. He doesn’t look any older than two years, and he could already speak so well. Not so well per se, but an understandable speech. I felt a sense of relief when I realised that the boy called her mommy out of a mere guess. But who was the mommy they came here to meet? There were only three women in this house. Rosalinda, Sofia, and their mother, Lucia. It couldn’t possibly be Lucia because she was too old to be the mother of a two-year-old, and that narrows the option down to Rosalinda and Sofia.“Dorothy.” Roberto’s voice suddenly booms through the air, and I turned my attention to him. “What are you doing here?” He continued, the rage blazing in his eyes was so intense that I could literally see f

ROSALINDA.“You still don’t know who the father is?” Antonio asked again as he approached us, his eyes growing darker with each step he took."Uhm, he was adopted, and we..." Papà scratched his temple, looking confused as he tried to concoct a lie.“Cut that.” Antonio groaned, shaking his head slightly. “I know that this boy right here is your grandson.”“He’s not—” Papà tried to persist with his lies, but Antonio cut him off.“And Rosalinda here,” he said, pointing his index finger at me. “Is the mother."Why did he seem so sure? I wondered as I narrowed my eyes at him. How did he find out?A thought came to my mind, but I shook it off. I knew Antonio was a Mafia boss, but I didn’t think he was cruel enough to torture innocent people just to feed his curiosity.“Is that why you said she wasn’t a good fit for the agreement?” He continued, his eyes growing darker by the second.“How did you know?” Papà asked, a scowl creasing his forehead. “Don’t tell me you did what I am thinking.”“N