The sun peeked through the curtains, casting a soft golden glow into the room. Aldo stirred awake, feeling the warmth of the morning wrapped around him. As he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fell upon the woman sleeping peacefully next to him. Sarah. The memory of the previous night flooded his mind, and a smile formed on his lips. Aldo watched as Sarah's eyes fluttered open, her gaze meeting his. There was a moment of silence as they took in each other's presence, the air thick with the intensity of their connection. Aldo reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, his touch gentle yet possessive. "Good morning," he whispered, his voice filled with a tenderness she had never heard before. "Last night... it was more than I ever expected. I want you to know that I don't just want this to be a one-night thing." Sarah's heart skipped a beat, her eyes widened in surprise. No matter how many times he reassured her last night, she had worried that their encounter would be nothin

Upon landing in Milan, they were whisked away to a luxurious hotel. Sarah was in awe of the opulent surroundings, but her attention was solely focused on Aldo, who led her through the grand entrance with an air of confidence.As they approached their destination, Sarah's gaze wandered to the window, where she caught a glimpse of someone watching them from a distance. A shiver ran down her spine, but she dismissed it as her imagination playing tricks.That evening, they enjoyed a romantic dinner at a rooftop restaurant, overlooking the dazzling city lights. The atmosphere was electric, their connection deepening with every shared laugh and stolen glance.“I was wondering, why did you retire” Aldo asked somewhat out of the blue, causing Sarah to freeze like an antelope at headlights.Her gaze rose to meet his. The look on her face said no-you-didn’t. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” he quickly recoiled, secretly cursing himself for almost ruining the mood.She took a si

Sarah's heart felt heavy as she made the difficult decision to escape from the dangerous world she had unwittingly become entangled in. She couldn't bear the thought of being caught in the crossfire of Aldo's criminal activities, nor could she ignore the overwhelming fear that gnawed at her every waking moment. Quietly, she booked a flight back home, determined to put distance between herself and the man she loved but couldn't trust.But before that, just for one more night, she yearned to rest in his embrace. One night only. After that, she would have all the closure she needed. She would walk away with only good memories, a beautiful tale that she would tell her children someday about the Italian don who loved her.After making up her mind, she made her bed, took a warm bath and called Aldo. She invited him over. He gladly obliged. She had been somewhat cold towards him since she received the first message. So when she actively called him over, he headed straight in her direction, d

Aldo managed to convince the confused little woman to go home with him. By the time they made it back to town, it was midnight. It was decidedly better to stay at his condo than to drive all the way back to the mansion. The ride was so long and extremely quiet, very awkward. He tried his best to calm her down. He understood that she needed time to figure things out, but he had so many questions. As he let her have her space in the silence of the vehicle, his mind churned with questions, doubts and worries. What led her to suspect him? How did she find out about the meeting? How much did she hear? Who else knew she was there? Only one person could come to his mind at that point; Julia. Aldo's heart pounded as he led Sarah back to his condo in central Venice. The fear of losing her had consumed him, and the knowledge that she had tried to escape had shaken him to his core. He couldn't help but wonder who had revealed the details of their secret meeting to Sarah. As they entered the q

The tension in Aldo's study hung thick in the air as Marco, his loyal right-hand man, entered the room. The lines of exhaustion etched deep into his face, reflecting the grueling search for Sarah that had yielded no results. He hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to deliver the disappointing report.Aldo's eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin. "Marco, what news do you bring?" he demanded, his voice tinged with anticipation and frustration.Marco's voice trembled slightly as he spoke, "Boss, we've searched high and low, but there's no sign of Miss Etoundi. It's as if she's vanished without a trace."Aldo's face contorted with a mixture of anger and despair. He clenched his fists tightly, the veins pulsating in his temples. The weight of his emotions became too much to bear, and in a fit of rage, he lashed out, swiping his arm across the table, sending a beautiful vase crashing to the ground, shattering into countless pieces.The shards of porcelain lay scattered at